Blood and Ink
by ShowMeYourFury
Summary: Crime syndicate head Cinder Fall is the most dangerous woman in Vale, feared by all... except the young girl who suddenly opens a shop across the street.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer I:** _RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth._

 **Disclaimer II:** _There will be some mature content in this story. Read at your own risk._ **  
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 **Cover Art by [** majisuka **] on Tumblr.**

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Music floated around the dimly lit room where Cinder sat, echoing gently off the nearly bare walls and covering the sound of her wheeled chair as she rolled between the stacks of drawers that held her tools and the reclining seat that held her latest client. Cinder hummed along with the beat as she pulled on her latex gloves and picked up her tattoo gun and a clean cloth, hooking up her ink and flicking on the lamp so she could see her fleshy canvas clearly. A fast buzzing joined with the music as the gun came to life, jabbing its needles into the fair flesh as Cinder began her composition, wiping away the extra ink and adjusting which color she used as she progressed up the man's arm. Her canvas performed as usual, never flinching or groaning or complaining about the sting of the gun; it was difficult for corpses to complain, after all.

The man laying in the chair getting his skin decorated by Cinder's needles had died yesterday, three hours after she'd discovered he had been skimming profits from her Dust operation. When Cinder finished with her work, his body would be a grisly, yet beautiful, message to anyone else thinking of stealing money that belonged in her pockets. It was rare that she ever had a living client; she reserved her talents for only the highest paying customers or her very favorite minions; but the dead were the greatest tools for both practice and demonstration. Tomorrow the police would find the man's body hanging from a bridge, the words 'TRAITOR' and 'THIEF' permanently etched into his skin in a flowing stream of serifed black letters that wrapped around his arm and up to his neck, where they would appear to be strangling him. And on his cheek, like on all her projects, would be a pair of glass slippers in red like a lover's kiss – her personal trademark.

She was putting away her tools when there was a knock on the heavy steel door that marked the only entrance to her workspace. "Come in," Cinder finished storing away the tattoo gun and the ink while the door slid open and stale fluorescent light spilled into her room, outlining the broad frame of one of her favorite minions. "Yes, Mercury?"

The tall young man leaned against the wall, admiring the words snaking across the corpse's bicep and shoulder. "There's someone to see you at the front, Boss."

"Oh?" That was unusual. "Who is it?"

Mercury shrugged. "Don't know. Never seen her before."

Peeling off her gloves and depositing them in the trash, Cinder squinted as she ran through the possibilities in her mind. The Schnees were not foolish enough to send someone straight to her front door; no, they preferred to arrange specific meeting times and places if they felt like negotiating. They had truly fallen from their original glory, now that they had decided to become a 'legitimate' business, trying to remove the stains on their name by funding development projects with clean money from their growing mining operations. Cinder could admire their efforts, but the Schnees had grown soft since they left the cutthroat world of Dust. They had even let one of their daughters join the police force. Fools.

But every so often they intruded into Cinder's territory, or Cinder into theirs, and there would be conflict. Bloody, violent conflict, and of course it would look bad to investors and customers if the stark white Schnees were suddenly drenched in the guilty red of murder and gang fights. Instead, they'd send a messenger to one of her dealers with a place to meet and an initial offer, and Cinder would reluctantly go and reach an agreement. She preferred to fight – it was easier for her.

Disregarding the Schnees, the only one bold enough to approach the heart of her power would be Adam Taurus, but the Fang preferred to speak through broken windows and fanatical video broadcasts with hostage executions. Cinder could respect the White Fang – since Adam had taken over they had become a force worth keeping in mind, even if they were just Faunus. So long as they didn't trespass on her boundaries or assault her protected businesses, she allowed them to do whatever they wanted.

She doubted it was the police. They knew better than coming anywhere near her operation; she'd made sure of that last year. It was amazing what a little gasoline could do to a police captain's house and family.

So who was at her door? A new faction, come to make a first impression? If so, they were lucky she was in a good mood.

"They're not here for a tattoo are they, Mercury?" Cinder turned around, letting her long dark hair out of its ponytail to drape across her slim shoulders.

"Doubt it, Boss."

"Hmm... Let them in. I'll meet them by the front."

"Oh... I, uh, already did." He shriveled under her glare. "I thought that-"

"Mercury," Cinder hissed, walking slowly towards her subordinate and cupping his chin. Mercury shivered at the combination of her touch and warmthless smile. "You are not supposed to _think_ , you are supposed to _obey_. No one gets through those doors without my approval. I'm getting _very_ tired of telling you this." She released him and stepped out through the doorway, rolling her neck to work out the kinks from hunching over her latest project for several hours. "Did you at least search her first?"

Mercury followed her out, rubbing his cheek where her nails had dug into his skin. "Uh, no, Boss."

"Of course you didn't. Clean up in there, I'll be back soon and I want it spotless. And get _him_ ready to go, he has a date with a bridge tomorrow."

"Yes Boss."

Cinder walked down the long hallway that lead from her office in the back to the tattoo shop's front door, her black heels clacking on the tiles with each step. The hall was dotted with separate rooms for her 'artists' to work in, but clients were few and far between, so the spaces were usually empty. Her operation was the best in Vale, with higher production and more efficient distribution than any legal business. In addition to the drugs, she ran 'protection' for almost half the city, imported the weapons the Fang unknowingly purchased from her, and had a hand in nearly every industry in the western district. That kind of money made many enemies, but through bloodshed, manipulation, and absorbing the smaller gangs, Cinder had eliminated all her competition, save for the Schnees, who were living off centuries of profits, and the White Fang, who existed solely on the indignant fury of the persecuted Faunus population. But neither of those posed a threat to her; if she wished it, they could be brought down.

Before she turned the final corner, she straightened her shirt and ran a hand through her hair – it wouldn't do to look unprepared. Three steps later and she stood in the front of the shop, looking over the counter at a wide space with a bench for patrons to wait on, a small table with a few magazines, and walls covered in photographs of the shop's best designs. At the very least, her shop _looked_ like a shop. In a chair to the right was her store manager Emerald Sustrai, looking annoyed as she sat with her arms crossed and a foul expression darkening her face.

"Emerald? Where is my visitor?"

The green-haired girl merely jerked a thumb towards the front doors. "She said she forgot something and left. Obnoxious bitch."

Cinder sighed, combing another hand through her hair in frustration as she turned to go back to her office. "Send her away if she comes back. I'm not doing any tattoos toda-" The ringing bell that indicated someone entering the shop interrupted her, and Cinder turned around to address her returning guest.

In the arch of the doorway, struggling to squeeze through the narrow entrance, was a giant gray vase stuffed with a towering bouquet of deep red roses. A pair of legs dressed in black leggings and ending in black boots poked out from behind the vase, bent with the effort of carrying the weight of the – possibly over a thousand – flowers. After a moment, the door closed behind the vase and the legs stuttered forward towards the counter and the two staring women. Slender white hands appeared on the sides of the vase and lifted it up and onto the counter with a dull ' _thunk_ ', followed by a relieved sigh.

"Whew!" came a lilting, girlish voice from behind the bouquet, "That was really heavy!" Cinder took a step to the side and peered around the mountain of crimson petals, finding a young girl with a red apron over a black shirt and skirt standing with her hands on her knees, taking deep breaths. The movement caught the girl's eye, and she quickly stood up straight, put on a dazzling smile, and held out her hand. "Hey there!"

Before she was aware of what she was doing, Cinder had already grasped the offered hand and responded with her own "Hello." She had been far too occupied by the girl's heart-stopping beauty; short brown hair tinted red was swept to the side, caressing smooth, pale skin and hanging just above the brightest silver eyes she'd ever seen. Cinder's eyes drifted down from the argent irises along the thin nose and rested on the bright pink lips split into the wide, excited grin. She wandered her gaze further, floating down the graceful neck to the modest bust, then to the slim hips and the long legs that still shook from carrying the vase. She licked her lips.

Her attention snapped back upwards when the girl said, "It's so nice to meet you! My name is Ruby Rose, and I'm going to be your new neighbor!"

"Oh?" Cinder found it hard to speak. She was captivated by the movement of those lips, and the sparkle in the silver orbs that zipped around as the girl, Ruby, examined the store. The soft hand that clasped hers tried to pull away, but she tightened her grip to keep it – the warmth was pleasant.

"Yup! I'm opening a florist in the store across the street! I thought I'd bring over some flowers to kind of say 'Hi' and everything." Cinder finally released the hand, and Ruby tucked her arms behind her back as she spun in a slow circle and explored the tattoo shop's front. "Wow, this place is really cool!"

"You think so?"

"Oh yeah! Tattoos are super cool and-" Ruby stumbled, throwing her arms out for balance, "Whoa, getting dizzy..."

Cinder stepped forward and lay a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't we sit down? Come," She maneuvered the small girl toward one of the benches, easing her down onto the leather seat and sitting beside her. "Better?"

"Oh yeah, much, thanks!" Another flash of that happy smile, "I guess that vase was heavier than I thought, ha ha..." Ruby rubbed the back of her neck as she chuckled, breathing deep to catch her breath.

Cinder licked her lips. "Do you want some help moving in?" She ignored Emerald's groan from the far corner of the shop, "I'm sure I could lend someone..."

Ruby's whole face brightened, and Cinder felt herself smile at the reaction. "Really? Thanks!"

"Oh, of course! Why don't you show me around the place? Maybe I can offer some advice to my new neighbor?"

"Wow, really? You'd do that? Let's go!" Ruby was up and out the door before Cinder could respond, beckoning the older woman to follow her.

She stood slowly, crossing to the door and stepping out into the sunlight before pausing. "Emerald," The manager looked up from the magazine she was reading, "keep an eye on the store. I doubt I'll be long."

"Got it, Boss."

She walked behind the young girl as they crossed the street, pausing once they reached the other side to observe the opening store while Ruby entered ahead of her.

The building that Ruby Rose had chosen had been abandoned for many years, until a recent effort by the Schnees to revitalize some of the more dilapidated areas of Vale resulted in its renovation. Just thinking about how long _those_ negotiations had taken gave Cinder a headache – she hadn't enjoyed the idea of having Schnees across the street – but by the end it was agreed that neither gang would occupy the space.

It sat in the middle of a crowded strip of similarly empty buildings across from Cinder's tattoo shop, crammed between what used to be an ice cream parlor and a hardware store, with shade from a lonely ash tree sheltering its tall glass windows from the sun. The Schnees had repainted the face in a dark brown, almost black, but left the door its original stained wood. Ruby had already unpacked some vases and placed them strategically in the windows, adding some eye-drawing color to the building that gave the not-yet-open store a feeling of freshness.

Cinder stood underneath the tree, admiring the work the Schnees had done. It didn't make much difference though; so long as Cinder's shop was across the street, any business that sprung up here would be starved for customers. After another minute spent considering whether or not to open up her own businesses, Cinder followed the redheaded girl into her shop, stepping up from the sidewalk of dull red bricks and onto the polished tile floor of the florist.

The interior was stunning. Aside from a short counter with a cash register, the building was completely open, having only a short rectangular stage occupying the center of the floor. Shelves set under recessed lights jutted out from the edges of the room, all made of the same stained wood as the stage and perfectly accenting the white-gray paint of the ceiling and walls. The floor itself was lit by rows of ball lights adjusted to a dim, atmospheric glow that made it easy to see without being too harsh. A door in the back lead to a storage room where the flowers would be kept at a constant temperature and automatically watered, as well as the unloading area for new shipments. Cinder was impressed.

Ruby appeared through the door from the back, carrying a box full of flowers. Seeing Cinder looking around, she said, "So, what do you think? Doesn't it look great? Come on through here," Cinder allowed herself to be lead through to the back where, as she had suspected, was an enormous amount of boxes waiting to be unpacked. "I'm really grateful for your help, Miss... I'm sorry, I never caught your name?"

"Oh? It's Cinder Fall." Cinder waited for the reaction, the widening eyes and the paling face that usually occurred when someone realized they were speaking with the head of the Grimm crime syndicate, the red woman of Vale.

She was slightly disappointed when it didn't come, Ruby's smile only growing. "Thanks for the help, Ms. Fall!"

"Please, call me Cinder."

"Cinder. Got it. Alright, let's get started! I'll grab this box, if you could take that one and put it-"

Cinder held up a hand, "One moment, Ruby, I have to go back to the shop."

"Oh... Okay."

The crestfallen look on Ruby's face both delighted and dismayed Cinder, without her knowing why. She stepped forward, reaching up and gently stroking Ruby's cheek, tilting the girl's head upwards so she could stare into those silver eyes, "Don't worry, little Ruby, I will be back soon." She left after savoring the glimmer of thankfulness that appeared in Ruby's eyes.

When she reached the tattoo shop, she opened the door and said, "Emera-"

"Boss, I don't care what you say, I'm not helping that stupid squirt with her dumb flowers!" The green-haired woman jumped up from her chair and paced in front of Cinder, screaming, "Why are we even letting her move in? She should have to pay _double_ for coming in here and dumping this stupid vase on my counter! Bitch. I bet she works for the Schnees! We should-"

" _Em_ erald."

Emerald stopped, drooping her head sheepishly when she saw Cinder's fierce glare. "Sorry, Boss."

"I was _going_ to say to lock up the store, because I'll be gone for a while. But now I think I want you to grab Mercury and meet me over there. Will that be a problem?"

"No, Boss."

"Good. Let's go."

...

Hours later, Cinder lead her subordinates back into the tattoo shop, sore from moving hundreds of boxes and unpacking surprisingly heavy vases. Emerald trudged to her chair behind the counter, falling heavily into it and heaving an exhausted sigh. "I never want to see another stupid flower in my life. And that _girl!_ How can she be so happy about stupid _flowers!_ "

Mercury sat on the leather bench and put his feet onto the table, reclining back with his hands behind his head. "So, Boss, what _are_ we going to do with her?"

Cinder cocked an eyebrow, "Hmm?"

"I mean, normally when someone walks in here we shove 'em out with a gun to their head, but she comes in with some roses and we help her set up her store? And you didn't even mention protection money..."

Emerald sat up. "Ooh, let's bleed her dry! That'll teach her to open up across from us!"

With slow steps, Cinder walked to the counter and pulled a single rose from out of the vase, holding it to her nose and breathing deep of its lovely aroma. "No..." Both Emerald and Mercury turned to stare at their boss. "She gets a pass. I like her." She took another sniff and licked her lips, "I _want_ her."

Emerald began to stand, saying, "But-" then was silenced by a deadly glance from the tall woman and settled back into her chair.

"Make sure everyone knows – the Schnees, the Fang, the police, Roman and Neo too – _nobody_ touches Ruby Rose," Cinder walked to the hallway, rose in hand, "She's _mine_."

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 **Author's Notes:** I have had this idea bouncing around in my head for about six months and finally decided to just start it. I'm not sure how good of a job I did with this first chapter, but hopefully it wasn't too confusing. Please let me know what you thought.

 **Thank you for reading.**

 **Please remember to review/favorite/follow the story.**

 **Keep moving forward.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** _RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth._

 **Author's Notes:** I am stunned and confused by the popularity of this story, and am now terribly worried I'm going to disappoint you.

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Through the tinted windows of her modified SUV, Cinder watched the bright green leaves of the trees that lined the avenue dance in the hot sunlight as a gentle breeze wafted down the city streets, reclining back in her seat and briefly closing her eyes to drink in the quiet silence of the back of her car as Mercury transported her between her large residence to the tattoo shop. The heavy, bulletproof glass muffled all but the loudest sounds, leaving only the dull hum of the engine and the shuffling of her chauffeur's hands on the steering wheel. She liked the quietness of the morning drive to work – it let it her collect her thoughts and plan her day without the distraction of the music that constantly played in the shop. She liked the music too, but tranquility was rare when you were in charge of a large criminal organization, so she took advantage of any opportunities to relax that arose.

The vehicle strolled through town at a leisurely pace, overtly well within the speed limits for a residential area, pausing at each stop sign and waiting patiently at controlled intersections as it made its way to the far side of the city where Cinder's shop was located. It wouldn't do to be pulled over for speeding or some other trivial traffic offense – not that she feared the police or their pathetic definition of punishment, but if they were to be stopped by an overzealous officer... Steps would need to be taken and examples would need to be made, and that would be a very time-consuming inconvenience. She had places to be and an important person to meet.

The route passed by a school, and Cinder sat up to look out the window and watch all the young children run to the fence, pointing and shouting to each other in their excited cherubic voices, 'Look! Look! It's the Grimm!', and then the teachers would come and collect their charges, herding them back indoors and casting worried glances at the black car rolling past. It gave her an unparalleled delight to see the fear written across the adults' faces – they knew who _truly_ ruled the city, and knew the threat she posed. She liked being feared.

At length, the car turned the final corner and rumbled down the stretch of road that was home to only two open stores – a tattoo shop and a florist. Cinder shifted left from the middle seat to catch a glimpse of the bright displays of flowers in the latter's window, the fresh blossoms lounging in the shade cast by the lonely ash tree beside the florist's dark-painted storefront, and grinned at her neighbor's latest array. The girl certainly loved color.

But her growing smile soured into a firm line when she spied three burly Faunus loitering in a huddle by the front door, shooting shifty glances up and down the street. She was familiar enough with the Fang's style to recognize their 'vetting' process for new businesses – they would travel in a pack to their target, sending in one member to gauge the level of 'acceptance' for Faunus the owners exhibited. If it was too low or they felt insulted, a loud commotion would ensue and the rest of the group would smash windows, break objects, and terrorize any customers. Normally, Cinder didn't mind so long as it wasn't one of _her_ businesses, but the florist was _far_ beyond 'off limits' for this behavior.

"Mercury," she called to her driver, who cocked an ear, "please stop the car. Here is fine." The SUV slowed to a stop, directly in between the front doors of both stores.

"Want me to run 'em off, Boss?" Mercury said, having noticed the Faunus by the florist.

Cinder waved a dismissal without taking her eyes off the attack team; the vehicle's strange behavior had drawn the Fang's attention. "Not necessary, I'll do it myself. Do you have a gun?" Her driver rifled around in the glove box for a moment before handing her a heavy pistol. She checked the magazine. She preferred a knife for fights, enjoying the bloody intimacy that came with shoving steel between ribs, but her favorite blade was locked in the back room with her tools. A gun would be enough. "Wonderful. Go park in the back and open up the shop, I will be there in a few minutes."

"Got it, Boss."

Cinder tucked the pistol into the back of her pants and exited the car, the SUV driving away, leaving her alone in the street. A light gust of wind pulled her hair in front of her face, and she tucked it behind her ear as she started walking toward the florist, keeping the sun out of her eyes with a hand across her forehead. She watched the Faunus spread out, smiling at the way they stood full of tension and adrenaline, their eyes locked to her face. They were maskless; the cautious expressions on their features lowered her confidence in their abilities. Cinder stepped up onto the brick sidewalk, still heading straight for the flower shop's front door even though the path was blocked by a large bear Faunus, and for a moment she wondered if they were going to let her enter unmolested. It would certainly be a less exciting conclusion to their impromptu standoff.

When she was a step away, the bear held up a hand, and Cinder felt relieved as she came to a halt; she'd get to teach them a lesson after all. "You can't go in there," the bear said, and the other two Faunus moved closer, encircling her.

"Gentlemen," Cinder said, layering an overdose of sweetness into her voice, "how would you like a free tattoo?" Her smile widened when she saw them look at each other in confusion.

"Uh, what? Look, lady-"

"I think for you, I'd put it across the chest. Or perhaps around the neck..."

The bear scowled, growing frustrated with this irritating human that wasn't listening, "Alright, bitch, you'd better-"

Cinder leaped forward, grabbing the bear by the collar of his white tank-top and shoving the barrel of her pistol into his mouth, feeling his front teeth chip as the metal smashed against the enamel. The other two Faunus reacted quickly, jumping and reaching to pull her off their companion, but the first caught her heel with his nose and the second was blocked as Cinder whirled her hostage into his path. She struck the bear in his groin, dropping him to his knees and whipping the grip of the pistol into his temple – he crumpled to the ground as she snatched the third Faunus and held the barrel against his eye. They were lucky she didn't have her knife, or they'd be dead already. She was certain a gunshot would frighten Ruby, so restrained herself from pulling the trigger and ending the animal filth where they cowered on the ground.

"Adam should know better than to send weaklings like you into my territory." Cinder pressed the gun harder into the Faunus's face, grinning sadistically as he whimpered in pain and fear, "You're not even worth the ink I'd need to send the proper message." She tossed him backwards and returned the pistol to her pants, turning and stepping over the unconscious bear toward the florist's front door. She expected the trio would be gone by the time she left; if not, she always had a use for complacent canvases.

The door opened with the ' _jingle-jingle_ ' of a bell and a tsunami of scents washing over her, and Cinder breathed deep of the fresh aromas that mixed inside the store's walls as she meandered from the entrance to a display of arrangements in the center of the floor, leaning over to relish each unique combination's fragrance and keeping her hands behind her back to hide the grip of the gun as it poked out from the waist of her pants. No need to cause too much excitement in such a calm, serene environment. The florist, similar to her morning commute, was fast becoming one of the few opportunities for tranquility.

Straightening and hooking the hem of her shirt over the pistol, she continued her stroll through the florist as she sought one of the two reasons she entered – there was still one Faunus member here, she suspected, along with a young girl with silver eyes that Cinder very much desired to see. She found both standing in front of a shelf of herbs, and her gaze was instantly drawn to Ruby Rose's sunny smile and maidenly posture. The red-haired young woman was bouncing on the tip of her toes like it was impossible for her to contain her enthusiasm for discussing plants and blossoms, wearing her usual dark uniform and red apron as well as a wide grin of sparkling white teeth that made Cinder smile despite herself. The Faunus Ruby was speaking to, however, was not at all what Cinder had expected.

She stood slightly taller than Ruby, or at least appeared so due to short heels and a large black bow atop her head, with silky dark hair that hung down the back of a high-collared white jacket to blend into tight black pants. As if sensing Cinder's presence, she turned around, fixing the crime boss with golden eyes narrowed into suspicious slits, but Cinder perceived more fear than aggression in their glare. Good.

Noticing her customer's attention directed elsewhere, Ruby followed her gaze, her smile growing larger when she spotted Cinder standing in the center of the store. "Howdy, neighbor!" the young girl called, waving, "Here for the usual?"

Cinder slowly strode over, keeping her eyes locked on the Faunus girl while she put on a warm smile and said cheerily, "Good morning, Ruby," She reached the pair, planting herself next to the short redhead and laying a hand lightly on her shoulder, then twisting her head to regard the glaring creature. "Who are you?" She asked with spite, as if the Faunus had done something offensive. But the question was facetious; of course Cinder could recognize Blake Belladonna, the White Fang's most talented infiltrator.

Ruby stepped forward, placing a hand on each woman's arm, "Oh, this is Blake! She's a friend of mine from school! Blake, this is Cinder Fall, she owns the tattoo store across the street!"

Cinder held out a hand, suppressing a chuckle when Blake flinched backwards. Waiting a moment before reaching forward and accepting the greeting, Blake said, "Charmed."

Ruby clapped her hands. "Great! Okay, you guys wait here, I'll be right back with your order, Cinder, gimme just a sec!" She squeezed between the two women and skipped through the back door, disappearing with the flash of a black skirt.

Once she was out of sight, Cinder returned her gaze to Blake, stepping forward so she loomed over the smaller Faunus. "What are you doing here, little kitten?" She said in a slow, taunting tone, watching the golden eyes flick between the door and herself, "This is where the big, bad wolves play. You should probably go home before it gets... dangerous." To emphasize her statement, she gnashed her teeth in the Faunus' face, whispering, "Or are you looking to get a free tattoo?"

Blake gulped, but stood firm, clenching her fists by her sides, "T-This store-"

"Speak up, kitty cat, your voice is shaking too much for me to hear you clearly..." Cinder leaned down and cupped a hand around her ear, smirking at Blake's irritated nose twitch.

"T-This store is now under the p-protection of the White Fang! Any attempt to molest or interfere with its occupants or operation shall be met with-"

Cinder rolled her eyes. "That's very cute, kitten," She straightened, reached forward and corrected a strand of Blake's hair so it lay smooth behind her ear, then gently stroked her fingers down the Faunus' cheek; Blake shivered at the touch. "But I think it's time you left, before I get annoyed." She nodded her head in the direction of the exit, "Go. And don't worry, Ruby is _very_ safe with me."

Blake opened her mouth as if to say something, then thought better of it and walked quickly to the front entrance, the bell jingling as the door shut behind her. Cinder occupied herself for the scant minutes before Ruby returned by examining the stacks of herbs and considering buying some – something to spice up the shop and cover the smell of Mercury's aftershave.

Ruby reappeared, walking backwards through the door with a large vase in her hands and a rose tucked behind her ear. She frowned as she staggered over to Cinder, huffing and groaning as she set the vase on the floor. "Where'd Blake go?" She asked, scanning her store for the Faunus.

Cinder shrugged. "She mentioned an errand and left."

"Oh, she does that all the time." Ruby rolled her eyes, then reached up and plucked the rose from her ear, holding it out to Cinder, "Anyway, here you go! Sorry it took so long, when I finished de-thorning it I remembered I needed to move this vase out and I thought, 'Why not kill two birds with one stone?'"

A smile crept across Cinder's face as she took the offered rose, "I understand the feeling..." She held the blossom to her nose, taking a deep sniff. "So, what do I owe you?"

Ruby laughed. "I'm surprised you don't know off the top of your head yet! You come in here every day for the same thing!" Ruby started toward the cash register, Cinder following close behind, "Just a couple lien and we'll call it even!"

Cinder reached into her back pocket and placed a fifty lien note on the counter.

Ruby's eyes widened at the sum of money, and she gasped. "Cinder, that's way too much! I can't-"

Cinder cut her off with a smile and a wave of her hand, "Consider it a gift from a friendly neighbor."

"But-"

"I won't take 'no' for an answer."

Ruby's eyes kept switching from Cinder's face to the money and back again, a torn expression twisting her fair features. Finally, she picked up the note and held it in front of her face, tears gathering in the edges of her eyes. "T-Thank you, Cinder, this... this really means a lot. I've always wanted to have my own flower store, but there haven't been many customers and..." She wiped at her eyes, "And this'll help keep the lights on for another week or two..." Cinder was taken by surprise as Ruby suddenly dashed around the counter and smashed into her chest, wrapping her in a tight embrace. "Thank you so much!"

Returning the hug, Cinder rubbed circles on the small girl's back, laying her chin on Ruby's head and breathing in the smell of her hair. She licked her lips. "Think nothing of it, my darling little rose," She stood back, holding Ruby at arm's length and drinking in the sight of those beautiful silver eyes twinkling with happy tears, "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask. I'm right across the street."

Cinder stepped through the front door and into the blinding sunlight after another quick hug, twirling her rose in her fingers. She paused before crossing the street, glancing down at the unconscious form of the bear Faunus still lying in the middle of the road. Belladonna and her other two bodyguards were nowhere in sight, evidently having left without worrying for their comrade. It wasn't a big problem for Cinder, but she didn't want Ruby to be troubled by the pitiful creature – the girl was the compassionate type, probably harboring concern even for subhuman animals. No matter, she had a use for him...

Continuing to her store, Cinder blinked to adjust her eyes to the dimness inside the tattoo shop, finding her two closest minions lounging in their usual places, Emerald in her chair behind the front counter and Mercury laid out across the leather bench, a comic book held above his face. The latter tilted his head as she crossed the room, lowering his comic to his chest. "How'd it go, Boss? Any trouble?" He asked, smirking.

Cinder placed the gun on the table, sliding it across the surface with a gentle push to return it to its owner. "Not at all. You would have been bored, Mercury, they couldn't even deal with a harmless woman like myself."

"Ha! Good one, Boss!" Emerald chuckled. She had her elbows on the counter, supporting her chin with her hands as she listened in on the conversation. "You sure showed 'em who's in charge!"

"Yes, Emerald, I did. Now I have some jobs for you two..."

Mercury, who was checking the slide action of the pistol, said, "Oh?"

"The White Fang was kind enough to leave us a gift. Collect him and bring him to my office, would you?"

The young man stood lazily, dog-earing his graphic novel and tucking the gun into his pants, "Sure thing, be there in a sec..."

"And Emerald, I would be overjoyed if you would-"

"Set up your equipment? I cleaned everything this morning, so it should be all set up! Do you want me to help with the-"

" _Em_ erald."

"Sorry." The green-haired girl hung her head, glancing up at her boss like a scolded puppy.

"I would like you to go across the street and get a couple herbs for the store. Something that smells nice and-"

" _What!?_ But I hate going to that stupid store! Why do _I_ have to do it? Why can't Mercury? This is-"

"Will that be a _problem_ , Emerald?"

Maybe it was the growl in Cinder's voice or the fierceness of her glare, but Emerald immediately gulped, said quickly, "No Boss, I'll be right back," and left.

Cinder, now alone in the store, began walking to her room in the back, holding the rose to her lips. She opened the heavy steel door and turned on the overhead lights, crossing slowly to her desk and placing the lively flower into a small glass vase filled with sugar water and several other roses. Her personal collection was growing, but it was a paltry imitation of the huge bouquet that still rested on the front counter, much to Emerald's displeasure.

While she waited for Mercury to return with her fresh canvas, she maneuvered her hair into a ponytail and pulled on a pair of latex gloves, then gathered the necessary tools by the reclining chair in the center of the room. She had just finished hooking up the tattoo gun when the door opened and Mercury entered, dragging the limp, shirtless bear Faunus by the armpits. "He's a heavy fucker, Boss." he grunted, pushing the body onto the chair then standing back and wiping his brow. "What if he wakes up in the middle? Shouldn't we kill him first or somethin'?"

Cinder glanced at the vase of roses on her desk. "I'm feeling kind today. If it becomes a problem, I'll take care of it." Mercury nodded in understanding, then left, shutting the door carefully behind himself.

The overhead light colored the bear Faunus' skin an ugly yellow as Cinder hooked up her ink and rolled her chair closer to her canvas, flicking the 'On' switch for the gun and leaning down to begin her composition. She expected him to wake up when the needles first bit into his skin, but to her surprise the bear remained motionless; perhaps she had hit him harder than she thought. Shrugging it away as a fortunate twist of fate – for her or the bear, she didn't know – she continued her work. The tattoo gun purred as she carved into the flesh of the bear's chest, staining the skin with dark ink.

Since she had first spotted the White Fang waiting outside of the florist, she knew what the message would be – 'NO TRESPASSING' – but the more elaborate decorations that accompanied her warnings usually came in the spur of the moment. Cinder tended to let her subconscious mind guide the needles, letting her focus drift to follow the lyrics of whatever music was playing that day or to whatever could capture her attention in the room. Today she found the roses on her desk, glowing a deep red despite the dimness of the room, continuously drawing her eye, and found her thoughts wandering to silver eyes, a bright smile, and deliciously fragrant hair.

She had daydreams of waking up to red hair covering a pale neck, of silver eyes watching her in the early morning, of warm white skin pressed against her. She yearned to taste those smiling pink lips, to hear happy, girlish laughter, and to smell the scent of roses. She licked her lips.

Looking down once she came out of her daze, she found the bear's skin, where it wasn't already imprinted with sharp black letters, covered in dozens of tattooed roses. The blossoms stretched from the bear's collarbone to his navel – thin black outlines were filled in with red ink, the highlights were made of spots of silver, and green thorns wound around short stems. Cinder considered it her finest work. She finished it off with her signature red heels on the man's cheek – the permanent lipstick smudge that marked him as foolish enough to cross Cinder Fall.

Halfway through packing up her tools and cleaning the gun, she heard a pained groan from behind and turned to find the bear, awake, examining his new body art. He glanced up and found her grinning at him. "What have you done to me?!" he cried, turning back to the tattoos.

Cinder resumed cleaning. "I gave you a free tattoo. You should consider yourself lucky, most recipients of my work never get to see the final product."

"I'm going to _fucking_ kill you!"

She heard shuffling as the bear clambered out of the chair, and calmly picked up her knife from the top of the chest of drawers that held her tools. Turning, she threw the knife and embedded it hilt-deep into the bear's throat with a quiet ' _thwick_ ', knocking the large Faunus to the ground. She stood over him, avoiding the growing pool of blood, patiently watching his feeble struggles to dislodge the steel from his neck until finally his eyes glazed over and his body was still.

She sighed.

Hours of work and a vibrant masterpiece were now smeared in sticky blood, and she had _just_ had the place scrubbed. Well, that was why she had minions.

Cinder carefully moved around the bear's corpse and walked back to the front, letting her hair down and peeling off her gloves. Emerald and Mercury were, unsurprisingly, occupying their usual spots, but gave her their attention when she stopped at the end of the hallway. "I am going across the street. When I get back, I expect that _mess_ in my office to be gone. Understand?" she growled.

"Yes Boss." Both minions nodded, cautious of her anger.

"Good." She stomped through the front and out the door.

Darkness was beginning to fall, but the light that shone through the florist's windows was more than enough for Cinder to find her way to the door, and she pulled it open and stepped back into the overwhelming tide of sweet-scented flowers.

"Hi there! Welcome to- oh!" Cinder turned at the greeting, finding Ruby standing behind the cash register watching her with a concerned frown. "What's wrong, Cinder? You look upset." she asked as she moved around the counter and stood in front of the taller woman.

Cinder smiled down at her neighbor, already soothed by the worried silver eyes. "Nothing, my dear, just a... difficult customer."

"Nothing bad happened, I hope?"

"No more than just a few harsh words."

Ruby smiled. "Oh, good. So, what brings you in? You already got your daily rose, and Emerald came by earlier for some herbs..."

"Would you believe me if I said I came _just_ for the pleasure of your company?"

Ruby laughed and slapped Cinder playfully on the arm, "Ha! Goodness no, you silly! Seriously though, if I can't get you anything I'm going to start closing up. It's _way_ past time to go home!"

Cinder held up her hands. "Don't let me get in your way, my darling." She turned around and made for the exit, but paused at the door, "And remember, if you _ever_ need _anything_ , come to me. I'll take _excellent_ care of you, my sweet little rose..."

"Will do!" Ruby gave her a thumbs-up and a wink, then started toward the back of the store, untying her apron.

Cinder watched her walk away for a few moments before stepping out into the dark. She licked her lips.

When she returned to her office, she found the bear's body propped against a wall, cleaned of blood, and Emerald and Mercury mopping the floor. "Good work you two," she said, taking a seat at her desk and pulling one of her roses from the vase.

"So, Boss," Mercury said, "did you get what you wanted from the girl?"

Cinder smiled, sniffing at the rose and spinning it between her fingers. "Almost, Mercury," She bit gently into one of the petals, running her tongue over its silky texture. "Almost..."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Not sure about this chapter, it kind of got away from me. Please let me know what you thought.

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Please remember to review/favorite/follow the story!**

 **Keep moving forward.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** _RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth._

 **Author's Notes:** I remain amazed by the response this is getting. Thank you all very much for reading, I will try to live up to your expectations.

* * *

On her perch atop the tattoo shop's front counter, Cinder sighed. She sat on its edge with one leg resting over the other, her foot tapping against the front of the thick wooden desk, resting her head in her hand as she stared through the dim store's tall glass windows into the brightly lit interior of the florist across the street. Her eyes watched the distant tuft of reddish hair, visible above the high displays of flowers, that marked the store's sole occupant's position as it wandered from the left to the right, stopping at every separate rack of plants for a few seconds while the young girl watered her product, while in her other hand Cinder rubbed that morning's rose between her fingertips. She licked her lips.

Several days ago Cinder had discovered, to her great pleasure, that if she was sitting on the counter she was able to see directly into the florist, and now spent hours simply observing Ruby Rose go about her daily activities. She'd even started mentally recording the schedule – when the lights came on around eight Ruby would open the front door to let in some fresh air and brush away the fallen leaves from the ash tree by the street, then examine how the displays in the windows looked and make adjustments as necessary. Next she'd move some small sample vases outside to attract passersby, then begin watering the flowers, starting from the front and working her way back. No flower was ever missed or over-watered; all were equally well cared for. At exactly nine thirty Cinder would go to collect her usual rose and leave a more-than-adequate amount of money by the register, and by the time she was back inside the tattoo shop Ruby would have begun sweeping up any petals or leaves that had fallen overnight. At twelve thirty, if no one was in the store – and there rarely was – Ruby would take a brief lunch break, sitting outside underneath the ash tree while she ate. Afterwards, she'd wander the store and rearrange displays or work on new bouquets until the next watering at four thirty, and then finally at six thirty the lights would turn off and she'd leave for the night.

Cinder pitied the poor girl; having to work all alone, day in and day out, with no help and little excitement was enough to drive one insane.

The White Fang had, wisely, not made any further encroachments on the florist, save for sneaking in during the night and chiseling into the storefront the small three-clawed insignia that marked the shop as protected and friendly to Faunus. Cinder allowed them this one intrusion into her territory, as it meant less work for her as well as greater safety for the flower shop and the precious redhead within. She would not be so tolerant of active guards, which the Fang sometimes supplied to their businesses, or if Belladonna returned. If either event occurred, her response would be far more violent than a single foolish bear strung to a light post by the heels.

Returning her attention to the florist as the puff of red hair disappeared into the back room, Cinder leaned backwards and spread her hands behind her, never letting her gaze leave the store across the street. "Emerald," she said to her front manager, sitting just to her right in a rolling chair borrowed from one of the many empty back rooms, "what time is it?"

Emerald glanced up at the clock on the wall across from her. "Uh, almost half past noon, Boss. Why?"

Cinder sighed again. She'd barely moved for the last three hours, completely engrossed with watching her neighbor go about her routine. It wasn't as though she could spare that large an amount of time, as well. Last night the police had raided Junior's club, one of her largest distributors in the southeastern region of Vale, and made away with millions of liens worth of Dust and weaponry. She now had to reorganize her whole operation in the residential district in addition to coming up with the proper response. The police were always the trickiest to deal with, even more so than the Schnees, because they thrived on a suicidal sense of justice, and any advance they made bolstered their boldness and support. If she was too soft with her retribution she would appear weak to the masses, making them harder to control through fear. Too harsh, and she risked them rising against her, united by the thirst for vengeance. Precision had always been the key to the proper punishment.

"Emerald?"

"Yeah, Boss?"

"Call Roman. Tell him I need him for something."

"Sure thing, Boss."

Cinder slid from the counter and stretched, feeling her stiff muscles slowly relax after sitting still for hours, then began walking to her office in the back. The raid had truly come at an unfortunate time; she had planned a very special visit to the florist today, and was torn on how to spend her time. Although she trusted Roman would be able to handle the situation, he and his partner usually needed help with... _direction_. They had taken too long with that bookstore incident, and had forced her to act more harshly than intended. The end result had been a _very_ tense discussion with Adam Taurus, and she did not desire her response to the police to go awry.

On the other hand, there was a beautiful redhead about to eat her lonely lunch outside, and the poor girl could use some company. Cinder laughed silently at herself – put like that, it wasn't much of a difficult decision at all. When she reached her office, she deposited the rose into the ever-filling glass vase on her desk, then grabbed the basket she had prepared that morning before Mercury had arrived to transport her to work. She let a smile creep across her face as she walked back to the front – she was _very_ excited for lunch today.

"Keep an eye on the store, you two," Cinder said as she strolled through the tattoo shop towards the door, "and _don't_ bother me." Both Mercury and Emerald gulped, then nodded.

Cinder shaded her eyes with her hand until she stepped out of the sun's harsh light into the cool, calm environment of the flower shop. She searched the open space for the person of her interest, but found nothing. Perhaps the girl had gone out to lunch today?

Her 'worries' were put to rest when she heard a quiet "Oh..." from behind her, and turned to find Ruby Rose halfway through taking off her apron. The heavy red fabric had caught the hem of her shirt, revealing a slender abdomen of shining white skin. Cinder licked her lips.

"Hey there, neighbor! Is there something quick I can help you with? I was about to have lunch." Ruby finished removing her apron and folded it in her hands before tucking it under her arm, looking up at Cinder with curious silver eyes.

"Actually, Ruby, that is _precisely_ the reason I'm here," Cinder took a step towards Ruby and smiled, "It occurred to me the other day that we've never celebrated your grand opening..." She reached into the basket on her arm and pulled out a long-necked bottle of red wine and a pair of glasses, chuckling as she watched Ruby's eyes widen in surprise. "Would you perhaps have a table and chairs for us to use?"

Ruby blinked at her. "Uh, I-I, uhm, I've got a couple in the back. Gimme a sec!" She left hurriedly, taking long, fast steps across the store. Cinder leaned against the front counter and looked over the new arrangements Ruby had been busying herself with that morning until the redhead returned with two folding chairs and a small square table. "Uh, don't you want to invite Emerald and Mercury? Shouldn't they join us?" Ruby asked as she set up the seats, brushing clingy leaf scraps off their tops.

Cinder waved her hand. "Of course not, they are very busy," She placed the wine bottle and glasses on the table and took the seat with its back to the front door, putting the basket on the floor by her feet. "This is just for us."

As Cinder began pouring the drinks, Ruby asked, "Umm, are you hungry? We can split my sandwich if you want?" Cinder looked up and found her neighbor holding out a small sandwich wrapped in grease-stained paper.

She smiled and shook her head, returning her attention to pouring the wine. "No, thank you, Ruby. You needn't worry about me, this wine and your company will be plenty."

"Oh, okay. Is it alright if I eat then? I'm _starving!_ "

"Please." Cinder crossed her legs and leaned back in the chair, taking small sips of her wine as she watched Ruby devour her lunch. After a couple minutes, Ruby glanced up and wiped her face, setting her food on the table and reaching for her glass. "I've taken an interest in you, Ruby," Cinder said, making the young girl pause, "Why don't you tell me about yourself?"

Ruby blinked, flicked her eyes between Cinder and the wine, then picked up her glass. She took a quick sip and swirled the liquid around her mouth, then swallowed before saying, "Uh, there's not all that much to tell about _me_. What did you want to know?"

Cinder smiled broadly, leaning forward and resting her head on a cradle of her hands. " _Every_ thing." She stretched out her leg and gently touched Ruby's, just for a moment. When she felt Ruby jerk her legs away, she said, "Oh, sorry, that's a bad habit of mine."

"Oh no, don't worry about it!" Ruby laughed awkwardly and brushed her hair behind her ear. Cinder resisted the urge to lick her lips. "Anyway, I don't really know what to tell you. I'm just me! My whole life I've wanted to own a flower store just like my mom's, and now that I do it's like a dream come true, you know? Sure, it's been a long, difficult road – business school was _not_ a ton of fun – but now that I'm here it's all been worth it!"

"I see." Cinder refilled her glass. "Tell me about your mother, Ruby."

Ruby took a deep breath and another sip of wine. She shrugged. "There's not a whole lot I can tell you about her, either. She passed away when I was very young, but I'll never forget the way she smelled. She always smelled _exactly_ like a rose, probably because she worked in a florist all the time, and I remember that she was always smiling and telling me she loved me. Oh, she was a great cook too, and could paint and sing better than anyone I knew! I wanted to be just like her when I grew up..." Ruby put down her glass and let her hands rest on the table. "I miss her still. A lot..."

Cinder couldn't take her eyes off those sorrowful silver orbs, and felt her heart throb in her chest when she spotted glimmering tears begin to gather at their edges. She reached out and lay her hand across Ruby's, needing to stand slightly out of her chair to do so, and sighed inwardly at the softness and warmth of the young girl's skin. "Ruby," The florist looked up. Their mouths were very close; Cinder could almost taste the sweetness of those pink lips...

She wanted it.

"I-"

The bell on the top of the front door jingled, signaling the arrival of a visitor to the flower shop. Ruby gasped and stood from her chair, ripping her hand out from under Cinder's as she rushed to the front of the store. "A customer! Oh and I don't have my apron, shoot!"

Cinder remained motionless at the table, staring at the empty air where Ruby's lips had just been. Boiling rage bubbled in her belly; whoever had dared to interrupt their lunch when her plan was so close to fruition would not escape unscathed.

"Oh my goodness!" Ruby's exclamation shook her from her murderous thoughts, and Cinder cocked an ear to listen in on the conversation. "Why hello, _officer_ , how can I help you today?"

"Well, _miss_ ," a strong female voice said with obvious embellishment, "we got a report about a _suspicious person_ in the area. I thought I'd come... _investigate_."

Cinder clenched her teeth and started reaching for the knife hidden in her pocket. The police were certainly getting bold if they thought they could come to the florist – to her _territory_ – and do as they pleased. If they had come to arrest her they would not find it an easy feat; there was a reason she was feared.

"Oh _no!_ "

"Yup, and I think I just found them!"

Cinder pulled the knife out of her pocket and held it hidden by her leg, trying to listen to the policewoman's footsteps over the sound of her pounding heart. It was unfortunate Ruby would have to witness this other side of her, she'd have preferred it to stay a secret. She readjusted her grip on the knife and waited for the right moment to strike.

"Gotcha!"

Sudden and intense laughter made her risk a glance over her shoulder. Her jaw dropped when she found a tall blonde woman in a dress shirt, black tie, and slacks running her hands all over a screaming and writhing Ruby.

"Need to search you for contraband!"

"Aaugh! No! Yang, stop! That tickles! Stop!" The vicious assault continued for another minute until both women were out of breath from laughter, bent over their knees and panting. Cinder watched as they both straightened and hugged each other tight in a friendly embrace. "It's so good to see you, Yang!"

"You too, lil' sis!" They separated and the blonde looked around the store. "So this is your shop, huh? It's gorgeous, I love it! It looks just like the one we had in Patch!"

"Doesn't it? As soon as I saw the place I _knew_ I had to have it! So, what brings you by? You've been so busy lately I hardly ever get to see you anymore!"

"Ha, yeah, sorry about that. We were getting _real_ close to the final sting and I had to be there. But all that's over now, so I thought I'd swing by and see you at work!"

"Did everything go okay?"

"That's confidential, I can't tell you that! But yes, it all went off without a hitch! The biggest pull of my career!"

"That's great! Ooh, we should do something to celebrate!"

"Are ya busy? I brought some donuts with me!" Cinder heard the rustle of a plastic bag. "They're from Nora's, so you _know_ they're the best."

"Perfect! I was just having lunch with- Oh my gosh, I totally forgot! There's someone here you should definitely meet!" Cinder pushed the knife back into her pocket as she heard the pair start walking towards her, smoothing down her shirt so it was completely hidden by the time Ruby appeared by her side. "Hey, Cinder, I want you to meet my sister! This is Yang!"

Cinder turned, forcing the sweetest, friendliest smile she could onto her face and holding out a hand. "I'm _delighted_ to meet you, Yang." she shoved through gritted teeth.

The blonde, Yang, was frozen stiff with her hand half-raised to shake Cinder's and an expression of complete shock splayed across her features. A bag filled with pastries hung from her wrist, and clipped onto her pants was a shiny badge printed with the word 'Detective'. Cinder got a pleasurable rush from the flash of terror that washed through Yang's purple eyes, and gave the worried blonde a 'reassuring' wink. The action seemed to break the spell that held Yang in place, and she finally connected hands with Cinder for a hurried shake.

"Yang, this is Cinder! She's the owner of the tattoo shop across the street!"

Yang gulped. "Charmed."

"Yay! Let me go get a chair and you can join us for lunch!" Ruby skipped towards the back of the florist, leaving the two older women alone in the store.

Yang spoke first. "I-I, y-you're, you're the-"

Cinder sighed and brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Yes, I am. Did you _sincerely_ not recognize where you were when you arrived? I expected better of one of Vale's finest. You are a lost, _scared_ little girl in the _wrong_ part of the forest..."

The purple eyes hardened. "If you hurt my sister I'll-"

She was silenced by a wave of Cinder's hand. "Please. Don't you think that if I _wanted_ to hurt dear little Ruby I would have done so by now? She's been perfectly safe in my care while you've been too busy to protect her..."

Yang scowled, but Cinder was impressed that she had the levelheadedness to not attack despite looking very much like she desired to. "D-Doesn't she know? About you?"

"Ha! I doubt it," Cinder leaned in close to the blonde, keeping her voice low as she said, "and no one is going to tell her, either. One _word_ to her about me, and-" Cinder heard light footsteps coming from the back of the store, "Well, I'm sure you can guess." She gave Yang's cheek a couple gentle pats before stepping back and placing her hands on her hips.

Ruby slammed down a third folding chair with a grunt, wiping her brow as she stood up straight. "Woo! You guys would not _believe_ how many vases I had to move to get to this thing. I'll have to organize that room one of these days! Anyway, let's- What's wrong, Yang?"

Cinder glanced from the redhead to the blonde, who was glaring angrily at the table with her fists clenched by her sides. Yang looked up, first at Ruby, then at Cinder. "I-" Cinder held a finger across her lips and winked. Yang sighed. "Nothing, Ruby. Just remembered I forgot to file an important paper back at work."

"Oh, okay. Let's eat! Those donuts smell delicious!"

"Actually, Ruby, I should probably go. File that paper and stuff. You know." Yang started walking towards the door.

"But-!" Ruby's expression fell, and she looked up at Cinder. Cinder smiled.

She lay a hand on the young girl's shoulder, "Your sister is busy, Ruby, but don't worry," Cinder watched the blonde stumble to a pause out of the corner of her eye, barely turning her head away from the florist, "I would be _more_ than happy to stay and continue our conversation..." She could feel the policewoman eye the door, and smiled wider when she saw the shoulders fall as Yang made her decision.

Yang turned and said, "I suppose I've got a minute or two..."

Cinder kept standing and smiling as she watched Yang trudge back to the table and seat herself in the open chair. "Wonderful..." She took her own seat, close to Ruby and with an unobstructed view of the blonde.

A cheerful grin split across Ruby's face as she joined the two at the table. "Great! Let's eat!"

…

Cinder stood beside Ruby as the latter waved to the unmarked police car driving away from the florist, holding her hair away from her eyes as a warm, late-afternoon breeze carrying the smell of the car's exhaust brushed along the vacant street. She had enjoyed her lunch, despite having an unexpected visitor intrude on her precious moments with her young neighbor.

"Hey, Cinder," She glanced to her side, finding Ruby worriedly watching the retreating silhouette of the car, "did Yang seem... scared, to you?"

Touching a finger to her chin, Cinder pretended to ponder the question. "Not particularly, no..."

Ruby held her hands to her chest, wringing her fingers together. "Huh. Because... I don't know. She didn't seem like herself. It was like she was worried about something..." She breathed out in a long sigh, letting her hands fall back to her sides. "I hope everything is okay."

Cinder suppressed a chuckle – she could only imagine what had been setting the blonde on edge. Yet, it was still inconvenient to have Ruby's sister on the police force. All her plans for retribution would need to be amended to avoid killing or seriously injuring dear Detective Yang and hurting Ruby by extension, but those same provisions would give the blonde a massive amount of power within the city – if the Grimm wouldn't touch her, she could do nearly as she pleased. Oh, the life of a criminal mastermind was truly filled with difficult complications.

She put her arm around the small girl's shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze. "I'm sure it is, Ruby." She felt Ruby sigh against her and looked down.

The silver eyes were still locked to the horizon, staring after her sister. "Yeah. I guess I should get back to work." Ruby unhooked Cinder's hand and walked slowly back into the flower shop, leaving the older woman alone outside.

Cinder's hands clenched into fists. She'd realized she had made a mistake, goading Yang into staying for lunch. She'd stolen all of Ruby's attention away from Cinder, in addition to interrupting her when she was on the verge of triumph. Ruby almost seemed more distant than ever, due to that blonde's _intrusion_. Protection was instantly forgotten – Yang needed to pay. Nothing, no one, was allowed to be more important to Ruby than Cinder.

Scowling, she stormed across the street and shoved open the door, startling the pair of minions lounging idly about the tattoo shop's front. She was so angry she almost missed a third person, sitting silently in one of the chairs against the wall holding her parasol daintily across her knees, and promptly swung to address her. "Neo!" Cinder barked.

The diminutive woman looked up from her magazine, her typical smirk present across her face, and blinked curiously at the glaring crime boss.

"Where's Roman?"

A white-gloved finger pointed in the direction of her office.

"Good." Cinder stomped her way past the front counter, ignoring whatever overeager greeting Emerald tossed at her, and charged down the hallway. The door to her office was nearly torn from its hinges as she threw it open and shouted, "Roman!"

She found him, dressed in his usual white coat and black pants despite the warm weather, reclining in the chair reserved for her canvases, his red-banded hat pulled over his eyes and one of _her_ roses held across his chest. At her entrance he lazily reached a finger up to tilt his hat enough to peek a sleep-reddened green eye out from underneath its brim. "Ah." The hat lowered back down. "Enjoy your lunch?" he asked jocosely, smirking.

Although his tone made her want to drive her knife through his eye socket, Cinder forced herself to take a deep breath and calm down. An out-of-control temper would do no good – Roman was not afraid of her, although he'd like her to think he was. She tolerated his flippancy because he could get the results no one else could, and screaming or threats wouldn't speed them, only increase their cost. However, if he ever made a wrong move, she knew where to hit him so it hurt. And he knew it, too.

Once she felt suitably prepared to talk civilly, she answered his question. "I did. Thank you for coming."

Roman groaned as he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his face. "Yes, well, I wasn't surprised to get your call, after hearing about what happened yesterday..." He examined the rose in his hand, turning it side to side then holding it to his nose and sniffing. "Shame, that. I liked Junior." Roman held out the flower. "Where is this from? I don't remember them being in here, my last visit."

Cinder snatched the rose out of his fingers, giving him a quick glare before redepositing it carefully into the vase on her desk. "Across the street. The loveliest young lady works there-"

"Oh yes, I've heard of your, _peculiar_ , attraction to a certain young woman," Roman stood, brushing his coat smooth, "There are some splendidly intriguing rumors flying 'round the underworld about you. Some are saying you've softened..."

Cinder's lips twisted. "Let me worry about that. I called you here to talk about Junior's," She settled into the chair by her desk, "Tell me what you know."

Roman reached into the inside of his coat and pulled out a long cigar, holding it with his teeth while he retrieved a lighter from his pocket. With a flick of his thumb a glittering flame burst into life and the smell of smoke spread through the room as he cradled it to his mouth. "Was a big sting, you see," he mumbled between puffs, "Apparently they'd been watching the place for months, taking notes and listening in and all the other scheming things they do, until finally they had enough to take him down. Went down with big hullabaloo, I'm told. His boys made for the weapons in the back."

Cinder covered her eyes with her hands. Junior had been in charge of her biggest arsenal, equipped with automatic weapons, large-caliber handguns, and _explosives_. She could only imagine what had happened with _those_ in the hands of the idiots Junior tended to employ. "Who was in charge of the hit?"

Tapping ash off the end of the cigar, Roman leaned against the door and took a long drag before answering. "New big-shot detective. Bold, talented, takes risks. They say she's a real bombshell."

Cinder's eyes opened, staring through her fingers at one of the roses in her vase that had started to wilt. A memory from her visit to the florist was itching in the back of her mind. " _She_?"

"Mm-hmm."

"And her name?"

"Xiao Long. She's tall, blonde, has a smile like sunshine and a right hook that'll knock you flat. First name is-"

"Yang."

The tone of her voice made Roman freeze, moving just his eyes to glance at her. "That's a scary look you've got, Boss." Cinder was glaring at the wilted rose, her lips fixed in a firm line and her jaw clenched tight. Her body was as motionless with tension as a tiger about to strike. Roman exhaled. "You know her?" Cinder nodded slowly. Roman whistled. "A sad day to be her, then."

"Roman."

"Mm?"

"Find her."

Roman stood at mock-attention, throwing her a quick salute. "Right away, Boss!" Holding the pose for a moment, he relaxed, returning his fingers to the cigar. "Then what?"

A petal broke from the sagging flower, drifting slowly downwards through the air. Cinder tracked it with her eyes until it rested gently on the top of her desk, then slowly slid the knife from her pocket and slammed the blade through the center of the petal with a loud ' _thunk!_ '. "Knock her down a peg." She growled, shifting her angered gaze to Roman, "Remind her who has the _real_ power in this city."

Roman grinned around the roll in his mouth, a small cloud of smoke pouring from behind his teeth. "Ooh, I love it when you give me something _fun_. Consider it done! Oh, Neo is going to just have a ball with _this_ one..." He made for the door, pausing when his hand reached the handle. "One more thing, Boss,"

"Yes?"

"About that girl of yours – the pretty young thing – she has-"

"Stay away from her. You and Neo both. I don't want your cynical nature corrupting her."

Roman raised an eyebrow. "Yours is any better? And I fancy myself a realist, not a cynic. Regardless, she's-"

"She's mine."

Smiling and shaking his head, Roman opened the door and stepped out of the office. "Of course, Boss."

When the door shut again and Cinder was left alone in the room, silent save for the soft music floating down from the speakers in the ceiling, she leaned forward and plucked one of the roses from the vase, holding it to her nose. She licked her lips. "She's mine...

...and mine alone."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter; I had a blast writing it. Please let me know what you thought - whether it was satisfactory or, as I fear, disappointing.

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Please remember to review/favorite/follow the story!**

 **Keep moving forward.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** _RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth._

 **Author's Notes:** Thanks for over 400 follows! Sorry it took so long to update. This chapter was not originally intended to exist, I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Two moths circled around a quietly buzzing light bulb screwed tightly into the overhead socket, glowing a dazzling white as they fluttered about the filament and casting soft, flickering shadows across the nearly bare walls of the dark office in the back of the tattoo shop. Cinder tracked their paths with her eyes, wondering which of the pair would be the first to attempt to land on the hot glass and wind up scorching itself to death. She favored the larger of the moths; it seemed bolder, more daring, and reckless. It flew in sloppy, energetic rings around the light bulb, whizzing past its slower sister, until suddenly it alighted onto the glass and began happily walking in a jerking, winding path across the surface. Cinder counted patiently in her head and then smiled when, as she reached zero, the moth dropped from the light bulb to the floor with a noise inaudible over the softly flowing music coming from the speakers hidden in the ceiling. Satisfied with her accurate prediction, she returned her attention to cleaning her hands of ink.

It was still early in the day, with not much time left before she was due to visit the flower shop and buy another bright, silky rose for the collection on her desk, but she had already completed most of her work, having arrived to her store early in anticipation of getting a special phone call from Roman Torchwick. Passing the time by preparing her equipment herself instead of letting Emerald or Mercury do it for her, and when that had finished she ignored her impatience by sketching out more designs to display in the front of the store, she had managed to get dark ink all over her fingers and the base of her hand. She _certainly_ couldn't visit the florist looking so messy and unprofessional, so had begun cleaning when she had noticed the moths.

The small insect corpse smoking on the ground reminded her of a certain blonde that she had met the day before – Yang Xiao Long. Like the moth, the policewoman had been overconfident, brash, and horribly unaware of the consequences of her actions. She had angered a force more dangerous than she could comprehend, and the results would be... painful. Yang had flown too close to the sun, had dared to stray too far into Cinder's domain, and it was time for her fall. Cinder did not offer second chances, especially to those who blocked the path to her vibrant flower, her precious neighbor, the beautiful, young Ruby Rose.

Placing the now-dirty cloth on the top of the stack of drawers beside her desk, Cinder lowered herself into her chair and plucked one of her roses from the vase sitting on the corner, holding the petals to her nose. Her eyes closed as she sniffed, breathing in the rich, fresh scent, picturing Ruby's bright, sparkling smile in her mind. She licked her lips.

A strong knock on the steel door to her office dragged her out of her reverie of silver eyes and red hair, and she reluctantly stood and replaced the rose into the vase. Confident that her minions would only disturb her if it was important, she called out, "Come in."

The door creaked open on dirty hinges, revealing Mercury's tall silhouette, backlit by the relatively bright hallway. "Hey, Boss. Sorry to bother you, but Roman's on the phone."

"Ah, good." Cinder stepped into the hall, making sure to crush the burnt moth's body underneath her heel on the way out, and lead Mercury back down the hall towards the store's front. She found Emerald sitting in her place behind the counter, reading yet another magazine while the receiver for the old landline she used as a shop phone was clutched to her shoulder. "Emerald?"

The green-haired girl looked up and, seeing Cinder's waiting hand, quickly held out the phone. "Here you go, Boss." she said before turning back to her magazine.

Cinder brushed her hair out of the way before holding the receiver to her ear, walking forward to the extent allowed by the cord. "Roman? Do you have some good news for me?"

The voice that answered was scratchy and rough through the speaker, but undoubtedly Roman's. "Good morning, Boss! How's your day going?"

She would never understand why she let him get away with being so flippant and foregoing the respect she demanded from her other minions. If anyone other than Roman spoke to her like that, they'd get a free tattoo. "Rather typical, so far,"

"Ah! Well, perhaps I can change that!"

A smile crept across Cinder's face. "I'm listening."

"We found your blonde. She lives in a small apartment on the north side. Nice place, well decorated. Has a dog. Oh, _had_ a dog."

She remembered why she kept him around; he got results, and quickly. "You've done the job already? I'm impressed, Roman."

"Oh, not yet. Neo said she was feeling tired so we only took a quick look around. We'll go back tonight and... take care of business."

Cinder sighed. She would have preferred her retaliation to be more timely so the message was clearer – waiting only confused things – but tonight would have to do. "Good. Give her my regards." Cinder walked back to the counter, but paused before returning the phone to the housing. "Roman?"

"Yeah, Boss?"

"Don't _kill_ her, just make sure she... knows her place. I'd hate for Ruby to be too upset..."

"Got it, Boss. I'll let Neo know."

Cinder hung up, running a hand through her hair before heaving herself up to sit on the counter in her favorite spot, then scanned through the windows for a tuft of red hair among the bright blossoms in the store across the street. She spotted Ruby in the back of the store, probably watering the herbs she liked to organize alphabetically, and soon, if Cinder's mental clock was correct, she'd start moving some vases outside. It was just the right time to visit and collect her rose.

Hopping to the floor, Cinder made her way to the door, pausing before she stepped out into the sun. "Emerald, keep-"

An engine's low growl coming from a passing car caught her attention, and Cinder turned her head to follow the unfamiliar vehicle as it squealed to a hard stop in front of the flower store. It was an older, ugly SUV with scratched paint and a dented rear fender, and as she watched the doors opened and several young men dressed in baggy clothing climbed out. Loud, blasting music poured out along with the men, overpowering the gentle sounds of the tattoo shop's speakers, and Cinder felt her mood darken. Her eyes narrowed as she inspected the men; mere visitors were nearly nonexistent, were they trespassers, perhaps? Or invaders?

They were four, grouped by the driver's side and speaking quietly to one another. Their clothing was an obvious sign that they were not Schnees, who preferred to look as rich as they felt, and the lack of any prominent animal features or insignias meant they likely weren't Fang either. She doubted they were police, but wouldn't put it past a certain up-and-coming detective to put a protective tail on her sister, especially after their impromptu lunch meeting yesterday.

"Boss?" Cinder's head whipped around to find Emerald watching her curiously, "Is something wrong?"

Cinder returned her gaze to the strange vehicle. "We have guests..."

She heard Mercury put down his book and shuffle to his feet. "Who are they? Police? Schnees?" he asked as he walked to the window, crossing his arms as he examined the unusual group. "Heh," he snorted, "they look like wannabes."

Cinder nodded. "I think we should introduce ourselves..."

Mercury smiled, saying "I'll go get my favorite welcoming gift," and slinking off toward the back of the shop.

"Bring my knife too, Mercury," Cinder called over her shoulder, watching as the young men split up, two walking towards the florist's entrance while the others returned to the car. She focused on the two by the car as the other half of the group disappeared into the flower shop, squinting to get a better view of what they were up to. Her brows dipped angrily as one of the men pulled out a large wooden bat from the back seat, and walked confidently into the florist while the other took up a position against the wall.

Cinder could easily recognize the signs of an extortion attempt, having ordered it enough times herself; the lookout to watch for police, the bat for intimidation – this insolent band of boys dared to try and muscle in on _her_ territory? Her thoughts flew to Ruby, and the small, flickering flame of irritation that had been sizzling in her stomach exploded into an inferno of rage. The florist and Ruby were _hers_.

Her voice grated through the air like a knife on a grindstone as she said slowly, "Emerald?"

"Y-Yeah, Boss?"

"Tell Mercury to meet me across the street."

"Y-Yeah, Boss."

Cinder opened the door, taking one step out before pausing and turning to face her store manager. "One more thing," Emerald flinched when she met Cinder's furious glare. "Get a room ready. We'll be having some clients soon."

"Yes, Boss."

She felt a rush of excitement as she strode into the blinding sunlight and stomped across the hot road, angry energy pumping along her veins as she made straight for the florist's front door, but felt something else deep below her fury. Something unfamiliar and odd, that she hadn't felt for a long time – an uneasiness that she didn't want to acknowledge as fear. Cinder Fall did not feel fear, but something about having Ruby, her darling, sweet rose, attacked by a band of would-be thugs put a nauseating twist into her gut. It was different from how she had felt when she found Belladonna or Yang trying to steal Ruby's attention from her – they had been annoyances, but these boys were a _threat_ to Ruby's safety. They would not get off lightly.

Her glare was fastened onto the lookout, but the fool only noticed her presence when she stepped out of the street and onto the brick sidewalk. He immediately stood, straightening out of his slouched position against the flower shop's window, and started walking towards her. Cinder imagined he planned on stopping her or turning her away, but she was in no mood to play around as she had when the White Fang had paid a visit to her neck of Vale.

The boy held up a hand for her to stop. "Hey, lady, you shouldn't-"

Cinder's fist smashed into his stomach, forcing out all his breath and making him double over, gasping. She grabbed the boy by the back of the head and shoved his face into her knee, hearing the dull crunch of his nasal bone fracturing and feeling warm drops of blood splatter onto her pant leg. Ignoring his whines of pain, Cinder threw him to the ground then kicked her foot against his head, silencing his whimpers. "Scum," she spat, turning back to the florist.

Pushing open the tall wooden door, she was met with the sounds of the jingling bell attached to the door frame and the pealing crash of a wooden bat against ceramic vases. She saw two of the three boys she knew were in the store; one was huddled over the cash register behind the front counter, struggling to unlock the cash box, while the other stood amidst a pile of vase fragments and flower petals, preparing to swing his bat into another one of Ruby's vases. In the far back of the store she spotted the third boy – he was taller than the others, with short brown hair and broad shoulders – standing menacingly over a trapped, frightened Ruby.

Cinder felt something snap inside herself when she saw Ruby's wide, scared eyes and her trembling lips as she pressed herself tightly into the wall, a dark shadow cast across her face by her tormentor. The other boys' cries of surprise went unnoticed as she stormed through the store, crushing petals and chunks of pottery beneath her feet, a snarl of rage twisting her features. She picked up speed as she grew closer to the pair until she was nearly sprinting, then lowered her shoulder and braced for impact.

Her body collided with the boy's with a quiet slap swiftly followed by a loud thud as she tackled him into the shelves of herbs that covered the back wall. Sparks flew across her vision as she stood, wobbly on her feet, and put a hand to her head. That had not been the wisest decision, but without her knife and with Ruby watching she'd had few options. When the spots cleared, she glanced down and found the boy's body pushed awkwardly against the wall, covered in dirt from the boxes of plants that had fallen when they hit the shelves. Turning her head, Cinder's grimace met Ruby's shocked expression and she instantly dropped it in favor of a mask of feigned fright. "Ruby?"

The sound of her name seemed to jolt Ruby out of her fearful trance, and the young girl gasped, as if suddenly recognizing the woman before her. "Cinder!" She looked terrified; her arms were held tight to her chest and her shoulders were high and defensive, but she reached forward and took Cinder's hand. "What are you doing here? It's not safe, these men are-" She stopped and flinched at the sound of another vase being destroyed.

Cinder pulled Ruby out of the corner and into a protective hug, "Come with me," She helped Ruby step over the slumping body of the tall boy and lead her quickly towards the door to the back of the flower shop. They weaved around tall vases and shelves of budding flowers set under fluorescent lights until they reached the far back corner of the room, a secluded area filled with dusty boxes and old, decaying flower petals. "Ruby, here," Cinder said softly, motioning for the redhead to move in front of her. Ruby crouched down in the corner, hidden behind stacked boxes of plant food and watering cans, looking up at Cinder with her mouth slightly open and her eyes wet with waiting tears. Cinder couldn't stop herself from licking her lips. "Stay there and hide. Don't make any noise." Cinder turned to leave, but was stopped by a tug on her wrist.

"But-" Ruby's voice was very quiet.

Cinder turned back and crouched down next to her neighbor, gently shaking her head. "Stay, and don't come out until I come back for you. Understand?" Ruby nodded. "Good. I'll be right back, don't worry." She stood and made her way back to the door, savoring the image of Ruby's concern and the lingering feeling of her small, warm hands around her wrists. She regretted having to be so stern with the young girl – whenever her crueler side came to the fore it jeopardized the image she'd been cultivating, the image that would make Ruby hers. Now confident that Ruby would be safe, and unable to see what happened in the store, she didn't have to hold back or hide her more dangerous side anymore. She rolled her head to crack her neck, then pushed open the door.

Emerging back into the brightness of the flower shop's interior, Cinder dropped the mask she'd been holding for Ruby's sake and let her face fall back to a furious scowl. The two boys by the front of the store had moved to the corner where she had incapacitated the third, and were in the process of trying to wake him. She made her way towards them, taking slow, even-paced steps that echoed through the florist, stopping when she stood over the trio and placing her hands on her hips.

The boy with the bat glanced up when her dark black heels entered his field of vision, and he quickly abandoned the effort of waking his unconscious companion in favor of stumbling to his feet and holding the bat threateningly. "Hey, bitch," he said with false confidence, "you better not mess with us!"

Cinder stared at him, keeping her eyes on his until he looked away. "Who are you?"

While she was waiting for the first boy to answer, the second managed to get the third to his feet, and it was he who answered, "We're the Cardinals, you bitch," He groaned, clutching his head and wiping dirt off of his shoulders, "and you're gonna pay for what you did."

The edges of her mouth twitched upwards – she'd found the leader, and hadn't even needed to resort to interrogation. He was tall, yes, and looked strong, but lacked the deadly menace _she_ possessed. Teaching him his lesson would be fun. "Would you accept a free tattoo?"

His bullish features shifted in confusion, his eyebrows drawing down as he tried to determine if she was insulting him or not. "What does that mean?"

"You must be new in town..."

"Answer me, bitch!"

"I own the tattoo shop across the street. Best in Vale. I'll give you _all_ a free tattoo."

"You're gonna need more than just that! We're gonna be runnin' this town soon, and if you wanna _stay in business_ you're gonna need to cough up!"

"And if I don't?"

The tall boy smirked and chuckled quietly to himself. "Then Sky here is going to smash you with that bat, and you'll think twice before standing in the way of Cardin Winchester again! _If_ you could ever stand again..."

Cinder eyed the armed boy; he shivered under her critical glare. "I see. Well, why don't we all take a trip to my store, and discuss things there?"

Cardin crossed his arms and laughed. "I don't think so, bitch! You've got ten seconds to show me some cash, or we'll beat it out of you!" The bell on the front door jingled, and Cardin's smile grew wider. "That's my boy Russell, probably coming in to see what's taking so long. It's four on one, bitch, and you got nowhere to go..."

"Hey, Boss," Mercury's voice called from the front of the store, and Cinder laughed internally as she watched Cardin's grin vanish. "are these the guys you were talking about?" Her minion appeared from behind a shelf of seed packets, a large-gauge shotgun cradled in his hands, pointed at the trio of boys in the corner. Cardin and the two other members of his gang jumped in surprise at the sight of the weapon, uttering swears of shock as they backed towards the wall.

Cinder nodded. "Yes, Mercury, they are."

Cardin's face was pale as he looked rapidly between Mercury and Cinder, eventually settling his attention on the newcomer. "Who the fuck are you?! Where's Russell?!"

Mercury shrugged. "Must be the bastard with the broken face lying on the cement outside. Who are you?"

Veins popped out of Cardin's neck as he roared, "I'm Cardin Winchester, and I asked you a question! Who the _fuck_ are you?!" His two companions were shrinking into the corner, Sky holding the bat in front of him as though it would protect him from the shotgun's potential blast.

There was a dull click as Mercury leaned the shotgun against his shoulder, tilting his head to look at Cinder. "Boss, I don't think these mooks know who we are..."

Cinder nodded. "No, I don't think they do..." She let her hands fall to beside her hips and started walking towards the door. "Why don't we go, _educate_ , them back at the store? Come along gentlemen..." she said, gesturing for them to follow. She stepped out of the store and shaded her eyes against the bright sunlight, not bothering to check the street before crossing and entering the dim, solemn atmosphere of her tattoo shop.

Her special guests trailed after her, lead from behind by Mercury and his shotgun. Cardin looked like he was about to explode, red in the face and tense as he walked with his hands held over his head, while the other two cast fearful glances behind them at the loaded weapon and its nonchalant bearer. Emerald was silent as the short train walked by the front desk, barely glancing up from her magazine to inspect the unexpected visitors, then stood to follow after Mercury. Cinder stopped at the room that Emerald had set up, halfway down the hall; four simple chairs stood in a row, softly lit from above by a line of humming incandescent bulbs, while a tall stack of drawers and a rolling chair rested against the far wall. Gesturing her guests inside, Cinder was about to enter after Mercury when she remembered that someone was missing.

"Emerald?" The green-haired girl blinked at her, pausing mid-step to face her boss. "One of our guests is absent. Would you please retrieve him from the sidewalk? I'd hate for him to miss the party."

The store manager snickered and nodded. "Sure thing, Boss! And here's your knife," Emerald held out the long, thin blade of steel, gleaming and glinting under the hallways lighting. "Freshly cleaned and sharpened by yours truly!"

" _Thank_ you, Emerald. Now, our guest?"

"Right! I'll be right back, Boss!" Emerald scampered away while Cinder tucked the knife into the hidden sheath in her pocket and stepped into the room.

Waving her hand in front of her, she said with a smile, "Gentlemen, please, have a seat,"

Sky and the yet-unnamed third boy sat immediately, both looking as though they were about to burst into tears as they looked between Cinder and Mercury in horror. Cardin stood for a moment longer, glaring defiantly at Cinder until a shake of the shotgun in his direction convinced him the only other option was to end up shredded. Mercury walked to the back of the chairs and crouched down, securing the boys' hands with zip-ties. Satisfied that the would-be thugs were under control, Mercury took a seat in the rolling chair, swiveling back and forth but careful to always have the shotgun's barrel pointed towards the trio.

"Um," The third boy squeaked, hesitantly raising his voice. He flinched when Cinder's gaze fell upon him. "are you g-going to k-kill us?"

Cinder didn't answer, only smiled. The boy did not seem reassured. She paced in front of the three with her arms crossed, silently staring at each as she passed in front of them. Only the leader, Cardin, could meet her eyes and not turn away. She felt her animosity towards the boy grow; he seemed arrogant, accustomed to getting his way, and was unlikely to be easy to control. The other two were obviously weaker underlings, parasites feeding off Cardin's power. There had been incidents similar to this previously - new gangs coming to Vale and trying to make names for themselves - and Cinder had crushed them all in an almost identical way. The leaders got an offer: Join the Grimm, or die. Most chose the former. Junior was her latest addition, and until recently had served her well. For these boys, these 'Cardinals', she felt they didn't deserve the same chance for mercy.

The room remained silent save for Sky's quiet whimpers until Emerald entered and deposited the still-unconscious fourth boy, Russell, then stood beside Mercury after tying down the last guest similarly to his comrades. Cinder cleared her throat, "You four have made a grievous mistake. You have trespassed in _my_ territory, and tried to take what is _mine_."

"We didn't know!" the nameless boy screamed, rattling his chair as he struggled against his binds, "We didn't know someone else was here! Cardin, tell her we didn't know!"

Cinder switched her gaze to Cardin and raised her eyebrows, pretending to wait for an answer, but the leader held his tongue.

"Cardin!"

"Shut the fuck up, Dove!" Cardin bellowed, "You weak shit!" He stared up at Cinder, snarling, "You think you can do this to me? Who the _fuck_ are you, anyway?"

Crouching down so her eyes were level with his, Cinder slowly slid her knife out of its sheath and held the flat of the blade against the boy's cheek. "Have you heard of the Grimm?"

"Oh, _fuck_!" she heard Dove shout, "They're the ones I _told_ you about, Cardin! They're the Grimm!" He started sobbing, "We're dead, we're so dead..."

Cinder stood, using the tip of her knife to pick her fingernails as she wandered in front of the boys, relishing the fear that emanated from her captives. "You made a very _unfortunate_ choice of store to rob. It neighbors mine, and I don't suppose you noticed the Fang logo scratched on the door?" Sky and Dove turned their heads to stare open-mouthed at Cardin, who slowly tilted his head to look at the ground. "One of you will have to go to the White Fang – Adam Taurus would be _so_ upset if I kept all the fun to myself – and one of you will have to go to the police. I'll let them get some credit and pretend they're doing their job. That leaves two, but it would do no good if there wasn't anyone to run and tell the world what happens when someone crosses me, so one of you must live. And that..." A wide, cruel smile crept across her face, "...leaves one for me."

She beckoned Emerald and Mercury forward, then stood in front of Russell. "Police." Dove and Sky erupted into tears and begs for mercy but Cinder ignored them, moving in front of Sky. "Fang." She skipped over Cardin and stood in front of Dove as Sky wailed. "He goes free." Turning to Cardin, she said, "Which means _you_ are all mine..." The boy met her eyes and simmered with anger, but Cinder could see the deeper terror that swirled inside. He knew how to put on a good facade, or maybe even believed his own bluffing, but really he was just as weak and pathetic as the rest of his gang, and Cinder would show it to him.

Emerald asked, "Should we move them now?"

"No," Cinder shook her head, "I want them to watch what happens when you cross the Grimm," She grabbed Cardin harshly by the cheeks, forcing his face upwards. "Remember that free tattoo I offered you? We also do body modifications," She leaned down until their noses almost touched. "and I have a list in mind for you. Emerald!" The green-haired girl appeared by her side. "I have someone waiting for me, would you be a dear and take over?"

"Absolutely, Boss! What does he want?"

Cinder looked down at Cardin, and winked. "The works. Tongue. Ears. Nose. Lips. Nipples. _Genitals_. Take what's left into my office, and I'll do the rest." The light of defiance in Cardin's eyes grew dimmer after each addition to the list, until finally there remained nothing but despair. Cinder smiled. "I should be back soon," she said, waving as she left the room, being sure to leave her knife behind.

The amount of destruction the boys had wreaked on the innocent flower shop was much clearer to Cinder now that she wasn't blinded by rage; dust and pottery chunks littered the tiled floor, creating a bumpy, sharp mosaic speckled with bright flower petals already beginning to turn brown with decay. The arrangements her neighbor had toiled over were scattered and destroyed, the normally vibrant interior now looking discordant and broken, and the stench of dirt no longer relaxed her. The tranquility of the store had been corrupted.

Cinder crunched across the open room to the back door and slowly pushed it open. "Rub-" A small blue pot the size of her fist flew past her head and shattered on the far wall with a loud crash. She ducked back instinctively, then poked her head in again more cautiously. "Ruby?"

"Oh!" The young girl rose from behind her hiding place in the back corner, her arms full with found projectiles that she let fall to the ground as she rushed towards Cinder. "Cinder! It's you!" Ruby thudded into Cinder, knocking the older woman back a step, wrapping her in a tight hug and burying her face into Cinder's chest. "I was so scared!"

After a moment, Cinder recovered from the surprise embrace and stroked her fingers through Ruby's hair. It felt like silk, and the thin arms that circled her body were so warm... She licked her lips. "Do not worry, Ruby, it's safe now," Ruby tilted her head up, and Cinder smiled at the sight of her tear-filled silver eyes. "You're safe now. Come, let's sit." Cinder guided the redhead to a wooden crate holding an extremely large vase, taking a spot beside her and putting an arm around Ruby's shoulder.

"Oh, Cinder, I was so worried! Those guys came in and they started smashing things, and one of them cornered me and said I needed to pay him if I wanted them to stop and I didn't know what to do!" Ruby pulled her feet up onto the crate and leaned against Cinder. "But then you showed up and rescued me! But then you went back out and I heard shouting and then it was quiet and I thought-" Cinder glanced down at the young girl when she cut off, finding her staring at her knee. "Cinder, you're bleeding!"

"Hmm?" Cinder followed Ruby's eyes to her knee, where the blood from Russell's nose was still drying. "Oh, no, that's-"

"Did they hurt you? Are you okay?"

Reaching her hand over, Cinder cupped Ruby's frightened face, smiling. "No, Ruby, that is simply ink I spilled on myself this morning. No need to be afraid, I'm perfectly alright, and those boys are long gone."

"Are you sure?"

"Completely."

Ruby sighed, collapsing against Cinder. "Thank goodness! How'd you know what was going on? How'd you know I needed help?"

"I've... seen something like this happen before."

"Well, I'm so lucky you're my neighbor! I don't want to think about what would've happened if you hadn't come in... You saved my life!" Ruby once again threw her hands around Cinder and squeezed tight. "Thank you so much!"

Cinder returned the hug, resting her chin on Ruby's head. "Think nothing of it, my sweet, darling little rose..." After a minute, she leaned back, taking Ruby's chin in her fingers. The young girl was still so beautiful – pale, milky skin, bright silver eyes reddened by tears, and soft red hair – Cinder felt her mouth water. "Now, it's time to leave, I think."

Ruby nodded and stood, leading the way out of the back room. When they both emerged into the store's main area, Ruby gasped and put her hands to her mouth. "Oh no, this is terrible!" She walked slowly into the center of the space, spinning in a slow circle to take in the extent of the damage. "I-It's all broken!" She turned to Cinder, tears returning to her eyes, "I don't know if I'll be able to stay in business after this..."

Cinder joined her neighbor, gently tucking a lock of Ruby's hair behind her ear, "Don't worry, Ruby, I'm sure everything will be alright. Why don't you go home for the day, try to calm down and forget this whole mess, and tomorrow I'll help you clean up?"

"Y-You'd do that?"

"Of course! Anything for you, Ruby."

Ruby nodded, taking one last look around her store before slowly moving into another hug. "Okay," she whispered as she pressed into Cinder, "That's a good idea. I think I'll go stay with Yang tonight, she always knows how to make me feel better."

Cinder felt her heart seize. "No!" When she looked down and found Ruby staring at her in question, she continued, "I mean, surely she's busy? You don't want to bother her do you?"

A small smile pulled at Ruby's lips. "That's awfully considerate of you Cinder; I got the feeling you didn't really like Yang, but now you're worried about her, too! But I think I want to be around family tonight, after this..." She backed out of the hug and bent down to pick up a flattened yellow carnation from the floor, delicately straightening out it's smashed petals before handing it to Cinder. "Sorry I couldn't give you a rose today, I hope this makes up for it. I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" She walked away, giving Cinder another smile and a wave before exiting into the back room and starting to lock up.

Cinder stood motionless, glaring at the flower in her hands and grinding her teeth together. "Fuck!" she growled, crushing the carnation and throwing it the ground as she stormed out of the florist towards the tattoo shop. Even absent, the blonde managed to get in her way.

She shoved open the door to her store and found Emerald sitting at the front desk, about to open her magazine. "Hey Boss! Did things go well?"

"Call Roman. Tell him he can't do the job tonight."

"What?! Why?" Cinder glanced at her, and Emerald quickly shut her mouth. "Yes, Boss."

"Is my client ready?"

"Yes, Boss. He's in your office." Emerald cowered behind her magazine as Cinder stomped past.

She was filled with frustration, and needed to release it. The smell of urine and blood filled her nostrils as she moved by the room with three of the boys, ignoring the screams that echoed through the hallway as Mercury took his turn with their guests. Judging by the different ranges of whimpers it sounded like Russell had woken up and found himself in a different kind of nightmare. Mercury had always had problems with restraint.

When she opened the door to her office she found Cardin – or what was left of him – restrained to the chair in the middle of the room, the yellow light from overhead making the blood that coated his body look black. "Unfortunately for you, Mr. Winchester," Cinder growled under her breath as she went to the stack of drawers by the chair and started pulling on a pair of latex gloves, "I am in a _very_ bad mood." There was no response from the corpse as she hooked up her gun and her ink, just the now-permanent grin spread wide across the lip-less, tongue-less mouth. Dragging her rolling chair beside the boy's body, she turned on her gun and hunched over his chest, using one hand to spread the skin while the other pressed the tip of the gun against the still-warm flesh. "I hope you like roses..." she breathed as she began to carve.

Soon, she was certain, she would have her Rose. Soon Ruby would be hers, all hers...

...but first there could be no more distractions.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** There was some interest expressed in seeing CRDL so I thought I'd put them into a chapter, and it also helped me transition from chapter 3 to my original idea for chapter four.

I don't think it was very good - definitely the worst so far - but I hope it didn't disappoint too badly. I don't understand how it can be one thousand words longer than the others and still be missing so much that they had. I guess that's what I get for taking so long!

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Please remember to review/favorite/follow the story!**

 **Keep moving forward.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** _RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth._

 **Author's Notes:** Thank you so much for 600 followers! I am absolutely floored by the amount of people who read this story, and would like to apologize to all of you for how long it has taken me to get this chapter finalized.

Big thanks to **Unjax** and **Scottishmongol** for helping me with the chapter!

* * *

Cinder sat quietly in the back of her large, bulky black SUV as Mercury drove down the interstate at a carefully controlled speed just above the legal limit, paying little attention to the multiple cars that were commuting alongside them as she reapplied her nail polish. Dozens of fellow travelers whizzed by, taking full advantage of Vale's well-maintained highway system, passing by her vehicle as it cruised unhurriedly down the road in the slow lane. Cinder often found it humorous that they were none the wiser to her presence – the most dangerous woman in Vale was so near, separated only by a few inches of air, glass, and metal – she wondered what someone's reaction would be if they somehow spotted her through the tinted windows.

As entertaining as such thoughts were, her nails required the majority of her concentration – the dark black lacquer had been chipped and scratched during her morning 'activity', and she couldn't accept looking so unkempt and unprepared for when she arrived at the florist to help Ruby clean her store. Cinder felt that her gradual courtship of the young girl was close to fruition, that soon Ruby would be truly hers, and wanted everything to be perfect for when she could finally claim her Rose. Her appearance, both physical and dispositional, needed to be meticulously preserved.

She carefully touched the wet brush to her thumbnail, stroking the bristles slowly from cuticle to tip, but a bump of her hand – a result of the SUV jerking forward suddenly – resulted in ink being spread all across her thumb. "Mercury," Cinder said as she replaced the brush into its bottle and screwed the cap tight, "I _was_ doing my nails."

"Sorry, Boss," Her minion replied, raising his voice so he could be heard from the front of the car, "I couldn't help it. This idiot in front of me just cut me off!"

"I see." Cinder pulled a cloth from her bag and began wiping the ink from her fingers, "Get his license plate, we'll take care of him later." With her fingers clean, she returned to painting her nails.

"Will do, Boss."

"And try to be more careful, Mercury, at least until my nails are dry. I'm sure you don't want to get another _reminder_?"

"No, Boss." Her driver's last 'reminder' was permanently scrawled in thin black letters that followed the contour of the fifth rib on his right side, and read 'Knock First'.

The car pulled up in front of the tattoo shop less than half an hour later, and Cinder waited in her seat while Mercury got out to open her door for her. She stepped onto the street and pulled her shirt straight before following her underling to the entrance of her shop, shading her eyes against the intrusive brightness of the rising sun. The dark, air-conditioned atmosphere of the tattoo shop's reception area was a welcome relief from the growing heat of the morning as Cinder and Mercury walked through the door, accompanied by the familiar and pleasant sound of music drifting from small, hidden speakers. Emerald, as usual, sat behind the counter, her typical look of absolute boredom vanishing as she spotted the dark-haired woman slowly crossing the room.

"Good morning, Boss!"

"Yes, hello, Emerald," Cinder said with a dismissive wave as she walked past the counter, "I'll be in my office, come get me when Ruby arrives."

"I will! Oh, and Boss, Roman is here to see you. He's in your office right now."

"Ah, thank you, Emerald." Cinder was happy that the criminal was here – there were things they needed to discuss, namely her now very late revenge against a certain blonde detective.

When she reached the back room and pulled open the heavy steel door she found her office dressed in darkness, the only light provided by the naked bulb that hung above the reclining chair reserved for her clients, but Roman was still made visible by the glowing orange end of the cigar he held clenched between his lips. The tall thief was lounging in the chair by her desk, leaning backwards while resting his feet dangerously close to the vase of roses on the corner of the table, the barest wisps of smoke illuminated by the light as they drifted past the pulled-low brim of his bowler hat.

Cinder smiled and strode slowly towards her desk. "Roman," She seated herself on the corner of her desk, taking a moment to move the roses away from Roman's feet to a safer location in the center of the table.

Roman removed the cigar from his mouth and tapped the ash onto the floor before using a finger to lift his hat. Despite the dimness, he squinted when his eye was subjected to the light. "Mornin', Boss." The hat was lowered back down, and Roman linked his hands behind his head. "You're a little late today. 'S unlike you. Did I miss something?"

"Mercury and I were at Mountain Glenn this morning; we had some, _trash_ , to dispose of."

"Oh dear, was it anyone I knew?"

"Did you know a Cardin Winchester?"

"No."

"Then it wasn't anyone you knew. Now, get out of my chair." Cinder waited while Roman clambered out of her chair, then settled herself into the comfortable leather. "Where's Neo?"

Roman exhaled a large cloud of smoke as he moved to lean against the large steel door. "Sleeping in. Since we had the night off, I thought I'd take her out for a nice dinner and... Well, she was up late. Speaking of, when-"

"Tonight. We've waited too long already."

"I agree," Roman, having smoked his cigar down to the nub, threw the roll onto the ground and squished it underneath his shoe. "I'm glad you're not as bad as the rumors said..."

Cinder's face darkened, the tiny gleeful smile she'd had shifting into a frown. " _What_ rumors?"

"Hmm?"

"Roman."

While his hand slid into his coat to retrieve a new cigar, Roman shrugged. "Just some rumblings I've heard around town, nothing all _that_ interesting..."

" _Roman_." Her recently painted nails scratched against the surface of her desk as her fingers curled into fists. " _What_ ru-"

"I told you before, didn't I?" Roman's eyes glistened orange as he flicked his lighter, creating a tiny flame. He paused to ignite his fresh roll, and continuing when it finally took light, "People are saying you've gone soft. This business with the florist girl, and with our detective... Some seem to think you're not up to being in charge anymore,"

" _Who_ , Roman?" Cinder snarled, "Give me a name, and I'll put the rumors to rest..." There were designs she wanted to print onto skin, and rebellious servants would make ideal canvases. Her instincts told her to suspect Junior's close associates – after the recent sting, the lack of backlash could have inspired such mutinous inclinations – but the longer Roman kept silent, she felt like he had already given her an answer, "Unless... I already know one," She stood, slowly, and moved a hand to the drawer that held her knife. "Do I, _Roman_?"

He peeked at her from beneath his hat, then took a long drag. "It's nothing personal, Boss, you just haven't been yourself of late. You've been... distracted. You're focusing too much on this girl, this 'Ruby'," Cinder pulled open the drawer as Roman said the name, and the tall thief turned his head at the noise. Roman held up his hands and stepped away from the door into the light. "I'm just saying, Boss, that you'd have never waited this long to make a hit before that girl was in the picture. You'd never have canceled a job because there might be a little collateral damage. I'm worried she's turned you soft."

The knife blade flashed as Cinder dragged it from the drawer and held it in the dim light. She moved around her desk towards him, using her free hand to brush her hair away from her face while she readjusted her grip on the knife with the other. She normally had a high tolerance for his joking and flippant attitude, but he had crossed a line; he needed to be reminded who was in command.

Roman's eyes flicked between her and the blade, and he groaned. "Boss, this isn't-"

"Maybe I need to give you a tattoo, so you won't forget..." She joined him in the harsh light below the naked bulb, glaring upwards. He looked down at her calmly – even with the tip of her knife inches from his abdomen, he still didn't fear her.

"I don't think that will be necessary, I feel like I've just remembered." Roman gave her a wry smile, and Cinder lowered the blade from his stomach. "And Neo would be so upset if I came home with a tattoo..."

"Have I settled your doubts, Roman?" Cinder growled, refusing to let Torchwick wriggle away from his insinuations so easily.

His teeth flashed. "Absolutely!"

"Good," Cinder turned back to her desk, "then we can get on with-"

"But only about _you_ , not about your silver-eyed neighbor. She has too much power over you, Boss!"

Inhaling to try and restrain the rage that was gaining a second wind in her chest, Cinder turned slowly to face Roman. "As I have previously told you," Her voice dripped with cold anger, " _she_ is _mine_."

"Ever wonder how much of _you_ is hers?"

Cinder opened her mouth, but her scathingly sharp retort was prematurely interrupted by several fast knocks on the steel door, and she reluctantly called out, "Yes?"

"Boss," Emerald's muffled voice came through the door, "the girl just pulled up,"

Closing her eyes, Cinder sighed. She was not in the proper state of mind to meet with Ruby; Roman's unexpected insubordination had disrupted her formerly peaceful morning and ruined her good mood. "Thank you, Emerald, I'll be right out."

"Uh, there's a problem, Boss," Emerald sounded... worried.

"What is it?"

"She arrived in a white limousine."

Cinder's teeth clenched. A white limousine in Vale meant one thing: Schnees. This morning was not going as anticipated. Her mind raced as she tried to determine the connection between the Schnees and her neighbor. They owned the property, yes, but had seemed content with a laissez-faire style of management; why visit now? And it was exceptionally odd for them not to announce their imminent arrival to her – why would they risk a confrontation? She planned to find out, forcibly.

Made nervous by her employer's silence, Emerald asked, "Should I get Mercury and-"

"Do nothing," Cinder ordered, sliding her knife into the sheath hidden in her pocket, "I'll be out momentarily." She turned to Roman, who had taken a seat in the reclining chair and was puffing happily on his cigar. "If I ever hear you call me soft again I'll cut out your tongue and replace it with your cock. Do you understand?"

Roman tipped his hat, smirking foxily. "Got it, Boss."

"Good. Now get out, I have... _business_ , to attend to."

"Certainly." He stood and made for the door, but paused after taking the first step. "Oh, Boss, when would you like me to visit our blonde friend?"

"I don't care anymore, just get it done. Do it now."

"Now?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

A wide grin split Roman's face. "Whacking an officer of the law in the middle of the day? Not a problem at all! Consider it done." He peeled open the door and stepped out, "Glad to have you back, Boss."

Alone, Cinder moved to her chest of drawers and searched through the stack until she found a hand mirror she used to use to show her clients their tattoos in hard-to-see places. She quickly inspected her hair and teeth, then put the mirror away and looked over her nails. Although her self-examination was mostly to appraise her appearance before she met with Ruby, it never hurt to look good when one met with Schnees – the family-run gang prided themselves on their image almost as much as their wealth. When she was satisfied that she would present an alluring, dominant figure, Cinder left her office for the front of the store.

Emerald practically flung herself at the dark-haired woman the moment she appeared from around the corner. "Boss! What should we do?"

Cinder ignored her underling, shoving the smaller woman away roughly as she walked across the tattoo shop's front until she had an unobstructed view of the street outside. A _long_ white limousine was double parked on the opposite side of the street from her store, concealing the majority of the sidewalk, and she could spot moving shapes through the florist's windows but the glare from the late morning's sun hid any recognizable features. "How many?" she asked over her shoulder.

Mercury joined her by the door, holding his shotgun by his side. "I saw three, including the driver. Em said she saw four."

Cinder's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure?" Mercury was rarely wrong when it came to counting opponents – it was one of his many talents – but for a Schnee to bring so small an entourage was uncharacteristically suspicious.

"Mm. Two Schnees – could tell by the white hair – and your girl. Saw them go in and went for my gun, didn't see anything else."

"Emerald?"

The green-haired woman dipped her head apologetically. "Saw the girl and ran back to tell you. Thought I saw four. Sorry, Boss. Two Schnees for sure, though."

Minutes passed as Cinder watched the shapes drift around the florist, her grip on the handle of her knife tightening every time one of the shadows approached the window, and eventually decided she agreed with Mercury. There were only three people in the florist; one of them was Ruby, and the other two were Schnees. She had the advantage of numbers, not that she would need it – the Schnees would try to negotiate their way out of a dangerous situation, and if it came to blows Cinder could eliminate them both herself. The problem was Ruby – Cinder couldn't allow her young, innocent neighbor to witness such violence. The poor child had been scarred enough by the events of yesterday.

She'd just have to pretend to agree to some meaningless compromise, and then the Schnees would leave and she'd have the day to spend with Ruby. Simple.

Adjusting her shirt so it hid the hilt of her knife, Cinder moved to the shop's exit. "You two stay here, and don't come out unless I call for you. I'll take care of this,"

The two replies came simultaneously, "Yes, Boss."

The street between the two shops was eerily silent, as if the birds, wind, and insects were all aware of the tense rivalry between the white-haired visitors and the fiery-eyed queen of Vale. Cinder slowly strode across the road, keeping her hands in plain view and her eyes locked to the florist's windows – the second she had emerged from the tattoo shop, one of the indistinct shapes had been hovering by the door. She had no intention of starting a fight, at least not until she could be assured of Ruby's ignorance of her involvement.

Taking a wide berth around the limousine, Cinder peeked through the windshield as she passed in front of the vehicle to check for any previously unaccounted-for Schnees. The car was empty, but that only served to intensify Cinder's wariness – for Schnees to travel in only a pair was unheard of; something wasn't right. As she continued her journey to the flower shop's entrance, she felt eyes following her; the shadow that had stilled when she started toward the florist trailed in sync with her as she moved down the sidewalk. Cinder approached the door and pulled it open, hearing the familiar jingle of the bell in the corner of the door frame, and instantly prepared herself for a confrontation.

It took less than a breath for the first Schnee to materialize in front of her. The person who appeared was barely more than a girl – she stood lower than Cinder's shoulder, despite wearing rather tall heels, and the gentle roundness of youth was still visible around her cheeks. Her ancestral white hair was tied up into a lengthy off-center ponytail that swung back and forth as she came to a stop, and she wore the crisp blue uniform and silver badge that identified her as a member of Vale's police force. The face she made was a mask of wariness and fragile authority that couldn't hide the fear underneath – Cinder took particular notice of the dull red scar that crossed her challenger's left eye.

"M-Ma'am," The girl's voice was squeaky and shrill as she spoke, but still had an aristocratic air about it, "this area is c-currently off-limits. You need to-"

"I'm looking for a good friend of mine, do you know if she's around?" Cinder interrupted, grinning at the frightened expression that temporarily washed across the Schnee's face.

"I-I, um," The girl paused to regain the surviving shreds of her composure, meeting Cinder's impassive stare with bright, determined blue eyes, "You can't be here."

Cinder smiled, almost laughing at the pitiful attempt to stop her. "Do you know who I am?" she asked sweetly.

The Schnee girl grew pale. "Y-Yes, ma'am."

Lowering her voice, Cinder asked, "Do you know what I do to people who stand in my way?"

The officer gulped before replying quietly, "I-I've read the case reports,"

Cinder dropped her smile, taking a stop forward and leaning down so she could whisper into the Schnee girl's ear, "Move, before I turn _you_ into a case report."

"I-"

From the back of the store came a very stern, "Weiss!", and Cinder looked over the policewoman's head to find the second Schnee standing in the doorway that lead to Ruby's storeroom. This Schnee was taller, obviously older, and carried herself with far more confidence as she walked towards the pair by the florist's entrance, every step accompanied by an echoing ' _clack_ ' when her heels struck the floor. Her pale blue eyes stayed locked to Cinder until she stood alongside the two women, when they switched to the girl. "Why don't you go wait in the car, sister?" It was not a request.

Weiss' mouth opened in protest, but a shake of her sister's head silenced her. With a grunt of frustration, Weiss stomped out of the florist, grumbling. When she was out of sight, the older Schnee turned to Cinder.

"I'm terribly sorry about my sister, Ms. Fall, I fear her police training is interfering with her learning of etiquette." She extended a hand, "I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting? Winter Schnee."

Cinder accepted the handshake, making sure to grip just as tightly as Winter; she understood this was a challenge, a contest for supremacy, well-disguised as diplomacy. "Cinder Fall, and the pleasure is mine."

Winter smiled and clasped her hands behind her back. "I apologize for not making you aware of our visit – I understand that that was a condition of the agreement you made with my father – but Weiss made it sound so urgent. She and Ms. Rose are friends from school, you see, so she was concerned for her safety, and of course we have our interests in the property..."

Nodding along, Cinder fought the urge to ask Winter to get to the point; diplomacy and it's ilk bored her. Instead, she smiled and said, "Of course."

"I suppose we have you to thank for protecting our investments, and Ms. Rose. Quite valiant and noble of you, to come to your neighbor's rescue. It frightens me to think of what would have happened if you had not been there." Cinder remained silent, focusing on keeping her smile from becoming a snarl. This was tiresome; she was just waiting for the Schnee to start making demands. Winter, perhaps noticing Cinder's growing displeasure, clapped her hands together, "Well, on a lighter note, you'll certainly be pleased to hear that we are going to repair the store, completely free of charge."

Cinder's eyebrows rose. "My, that is very kind of you. Ruby must be ecstatic."

The small, polite smile on Winter's face transformed into a smirk. "I believe she is. Ruby?" She turned to the back room that she emerged from, "Your neighbor is here to see you,"

There was a distant clatter of pottery on concrete and a squeak of a box being pushed aside, and then the red-haired florist appeared in the doorway, dressed in her uniform and apron and wearing a bright smile. "Cinder! Hi!" Ruby half-ran towards the pair by the entrance, slowing to a stop in front of Cinder. "They said they were going to fix everything! Weiss said – did you get to meet Weiss? She was around here somewhere... Anyway, her family knows the landlord and they convinced him to fix the store and even pay for new flowers! I'm going to be able to stay in business!"

Cinder flashed her a smile, but kept her gaze on Winter as she said, "How kind of them."

Winter cleared her throat. "Yes, well, the Schnee family does pride itself on it's philanthropic works. The cleaning crew will be here in twenty minutes, and the flowers will be delivered tomorrow. Unfortunately, Ms. Fall, anyone not involved will need to vacate the premises," She gestured to the door. "Insurance and liability – I'm sure you understand."

Cinder let her smile drop. If they were in any other place, amongst any other company, Cinder would have slid her knife across that white porcelain neck and let blood coat the floor. This Schnee brat dared to tell her to leave? Dared to try and keep her from Ruby? She had a lot to learn if she thought that she could give an order and Cinder would simply tuck tail and obey like a trained dog. How far the apples had fallen from the tree – Cinder knew her father to be a shrewd businessman and respectable opponent, but his daughters seemed to have grown arrogant and overconfident off of his success. The only thing that restrained her from teaching the pompous woman a painful lesson was Ruby's presence – she was too close to her goal to lose the girl because she couldn't contain her temper.

As calmly as she could, Cinder said through gritted teeth, "I understand." She turned to Ruby. "Perhaps you would like come stay with me until they are finished, Ruby?" It was still possible to turn this into her victory by snatching Ruby out of the Schnees' grasp...

...but the scheme collapsed when her neighbor gave her a sad smile. "I'm really sorry, Cinder, but they said they needed me here to help direct where everything goes. I wish I could, really, but I can't."

"Oh, that is alright, Ruby," She forgave her, of course; Ruby was not aware of how the Schnees were using her as a hostage, a pawn. She couldn't recognize that the hands that offered help were actually talons meant to cage her. Turning back to Winter, Cinder only barely suppressed a growl, "If you ever want a tattoo, Ms. Schnee, I'll happily give you one for free. It's the least I could do after you've been so kind to Ruby," Winter's self-satisfied smirk vanished, indicating she understood the thinly veiled threat.

With her closing remark spitefully delivered, Cinder turned on her heel and stormed out of the shop towards her own. It had been a long time since she'd felt this defeated, this powerless. She was unaccustomed to not getting her way, but to force the Schnees out would have meant exposing her inner darkness to Ruby, and that was unacceptable unless done under the _perfect_ conditions. Conditions she controlled. Cinder tried to focus on seeing this as only a temporary setback instead of a total loss, but her anger refused to die – something would need to be done.

Her subordinates were still waiting in the front – Mercury facing the door while cradling his shotgun and sitting on a chair he had pulled from a back room, and Emerald nervously chewing on her thumb behind the reception desk. The latter jumped to her feet when Cinder threw open the door, "Boss! What happened?"

"Are we going to fight them, or what?" Mercury asked.

Cinder put her hand to her head and closed her eyes. "Be quiet, you two." When there was silence, she sighed. "They are staying, for now. They're repairing their property, but if they stay even-"

"Boss!"

Cinder opened her eyes to rebuke Emerald for interrupting her, but when she saw her minion pointing behind her she turned to face the door. The younger Schnee, Weiss, had emerged from the limousine and was stomping towards the tattoo shop with her fists clenched by her side. The trio of criminals watched, frozen, as the girl shoved open the door and stood panting in front of them.

"You!" Weiss' shout was directed at Cinder, and she started to march forward, "You-"

Cinder held up her hand. "You are either very bold or _very_ stupid," She prowled forward, towering over the short Schnee, "What makes you think I won't kill you?" Cinder examined her more closely than on their first meeting, stroking her fingers against Weiss' cheek, "Such beauty is wasted on one so foolish... You've walked into a den of wolves, little girl, and now there's no 'older sister' to protect you..."

Weiss jerked away from her touch. "I can protect myself!"

Cinder laughed. "Can you? Tell me, snow angel," She leaned down and whispered, "would you like a free tattoo?"

The girl's eyes widened, but defiance and determination still burned in the pale blue depths. "Stay away from her," she muttered, tightening her fists.

Cinder's grin dropped. "Excuse me?"

"Stay away from her!" Weiss shouted, "Stay away from Ruby, you monster!"

Cinder smacked the back of her hand against Weiss' face with an echoing ' _slap_ ', knocking the small woman to the floor. "You _dare_..." Cinder hissed, reaching for her knife.

The Schnee rubbed her reddening cheek with her hand, and was obviously resisting tears. "I got your message, where you said that Ruby was 'yours'. I won't let you hurt her! You are _evil_ , and I will stop you!"

Cinder's face twitched – the flood of fury that had been briefly calmed by the surprise of Weiss' intrusion exploded into a tempestuous storm. "You will, will you, girl?" Her entire body shook with rage, left over from her conversation with Winter and now reignited by this impudent little _insect_. She wrapped her fingers around the base of Weiss' ponytail and hauled the girl to her feet, ignoring her whimpers of pain and flailing struggles. Gripping the girl's angular jawline, Cinder pressed the flat of her knife against the milky skin as she forced Weiss to look at her, bringing their faces so close together that she could smell the fearful sweat on Weiss' skin. "Look how weak you are, how scared you are," She whispered, staring into the terrified blue eyes, "You think you can stop me? You think you can keep me from Ruby? Dealing with you and your egotistic family would be a trifle, easier than brushing aside a cobweb!

"And when you are gone, when you _all_ are gone, when she is all alone, it will be _me_ who protects her! It will be _me_ who comforts her! _Me_ who takes her in! _Me_ who gives her the love she needs! She will _love_ me, and she _will_ be mine! And I will kill _anyone_ who gets in my way!" Cinder began walking towards the door, pushing Weiss in front of her; Mercury rose from his seat to hold the door open. When the pair of women emerged into the sunlight, Cinder released her grip on Weiss' head, letting the short Schnee fall to the ground. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Schnee," Cinder sneered from above her, "please give my regards to your father." She sheathed her knife and turned back into the store, finished with the white-haired girl crying on the concrete behind her.

The store was stock-still, both her subordinates staring at her with slack jaws.

"What?" Cinder asked the two sharply, glaring first at Mercury then Emerald; neither could keep her gaze.

"Do you really think that was smart, Boss?" Mercury asked after a momentary silence, "The Schnees still have a lot of influence in Vale..."

Cinder examined her nails, disappointed to see that there was a new scratch in her nail polish. "How else is she supposed to learn who has more power? Don't worry, Mercury, we have nothing to worry about from the Schnees..." Sighing, Cinder ran her hands through her hair, "Now, you two watch the store. If anyone comes tell them we're closed. I'll be in the back," She started walking towards her office, "don't disturb me."

Two voices replied, "Yes, Boss."

The calm, dim space of her office was a relaxing change from the tension that permeated the front of the store, the music floating down from the speakers and the familiar chemical scent of alcohol and ink causing Cinder's nearly unmanageable anger to slowly settle. She seated herself in the chair by her desk and spent a few minutes with her eyes closed, focusing on regaining control of her emotions. It had been an upsetting day. Out of habit, she reached forward and pulled a rose out of the glass vase on the corner of her desk, holding the drying petals to her nose. Even though the flower was wilted and brown, the smell was still so sweet. Cinder took another deep sniff, then returned the rose to the vase. She gathered a pen and some paper and started sketching roses, letting her mind lose itself in the complicated juxtaposition of shape and shading.

…

A knock on the big steel door to her office rang out above the quiet, rhythmic beat of the music, making her pause in the middle of finalizing her latest rose-themed design and pulling her from her artistic reverie. "Who is it?"

"Mercury, Boss."

"What do you want? I told you not to disturb me."

"There's someone to see you at the front, Boss."

Cinder groaned and lay her pen on the desk. Were her minions incapable of following orders? The tattoo shop was 'closed', and she wasn't in the mood to deal with more visitors today. "Well, send them away. We're not open."

"Uh... it's your girl."

Cinder sat up. "Ruby?"

"Yeah."

"Tell her I'll be there soon." Standing slowly, Cinder adjusted her shirt and hair and checked her hands for any unseemly ink stains before organizing the hundreds of pages of paper into a neat stack and dumping the crumpled-up rejects into the trash bin. It was a mystery to her as to why Ruby would visit the store, but she planned to take advantage of it – this was her opportunity to return to the path that had been so often interrupted. She left for the front.

Ruby was sitting shyly on the corner of one of the long leather benches that lined the sides of the store, still dressed in the uniform of her store, when Cinder emerged from around the corner. The bright silver eyes switched from looking up at all the pictures of designs that decorated the wall opposite her to Cinder, and Cinder licked her lips. It felt like it had been so long since the last time she'd been able to enjoy the sight of those eyes, the red hair, or the sweet pink lips without some irritating interference.

"Ruby? What are you doing here?" Cinder asked as she walked toward the young girl, who stood to meet her. "It's late."

"Hey, Cinder," A small, nervous smile pulled at Ruby's lips, and her hands fidgeted with the corners of her apron, "I was... kind of hoping you could do me a favor?"

Cinder tilted her head, laying a hand reassuringly on Ruby's shoulder. "Of course, my dear! You know you can ask me for anything,"

"Well, I was wondering if... you could give me a tattoo?" Cinder's eyes went wide, and the thunderous sound of her heart pounding excitedly in her chest nearly drowned out the rest of her neighbor's speech, "I've always kind of wanted one, as something to remember my mom by, you know? And I just thought, 'I know a great tattoo artist who's right across the street!', but if it's not okay I-"

"Yes."

Ruby's face jerked up at Cinder's interjection, alight with joy. " _Really_? Thank you!" She hugged Cinder quickly, then pulled away, "So should I come by sometime tomorrow, or-"

"We can do it tonight, if you would like?"

Ruby's expression of happy surprise forced a wide smile onto Cinder's face. "Can we? Would that be okay? I mean, I don't want to make you stay any later than you have to, I can wait until-"

"I would be delighted to, Ruby. Did you have a design in mind?"

The young girl blushed and turned away, shuffling her feet in embarrassment. "It's kind of cheesy, but... I want a rose."

Cinder's smile widened. "My specialty,"

"Wow, really? How lucky!"

"Yes. Now, Ruby," Cinder stepped forward and pointed the redhead towards the back of the store, "if you just go down that hallway to the room at the end, I'll meet you in a second."

"Okay!"

When Ruby was out of sight around the corner, Cinder turned to the pair of her underlings, watching silently from the counter. "You two," Mercury and Emerald stiffened at the growl in her voice, "lock up and go home. I want to be _alone_ with her,"

"Yes Boss!"

Cinder left them to follow her directions and started towards her office, feeling her excitement rise with every step. Ruby was waiting in the reclining chair when she entered the room, her fingers tapping anxiously on the padded armrests. "Where would you like the tattoo?" Cinder asked as she wheeled her chair next to Ruby.

"On my back, between my shoulders." Ruby pat herself on the back, just below the neck and between her shoulder blades. "Right there."

"Then I'll need you to take off your shirt and apron. I'll help you." She helped Ruby out of the chair, then stood behind her and undid the apron's tassels to slide the red canvas over Ruby's head.

She placed the apron on her desk next to the vase of roses, then turned around to see Ruby pulling her shirt over her head. Pale, flawless skin, interrupted only by the lacy black stripe of Ruby's brassiere, flashed in the light from the naked incandescent bulb above the chair, the muscles underneath moving with smooth, exquisite elegance. The short red hair swung gently like a curtain over Ruby's slender neck, dancing as Ruby folded the shirt. She covered herself ever so modestly when she turned around to hand Cinder the shirt to place with the apron, glancing away from Cinder's stare and blushing.

Cinder licked her lips. "Good. Now, lie down, and try to relax." While Ruby followed her instructions, Cinder moved to her chest of drawers and put on a fresh pair of gloves, pulled out her tattoo gun and ink, and grabbed a disinfecting cloth, then wheeled herself back to her client.

"Ooh, that's cold..." Ruby said as Cinder wiped her back down with the cloth.

Readying her gun, Cinder licked her lips one more time before she set to work. "This will sting a little, Ruby," She touched the buzzing needles to skin.

Ruby squirmed as Cinder worked, her eyes closed tight against the pain, occasionally whimpering or grunting when the needle carved into a particularly sensitive spot on her back. Cinder ignored her client's displeasure, focusing the entirety of her attention on the tattoo and the feeling of working on Ruby's skin. Her body smelled sweet, like pollen and freshly watered flowers. Her skin was smooth and pliable under Cinder's fingers, moving without resistance as she spread it wide with her hand. She could feel the heat of Ruby's body through her gloves, and every swell of breath or tremble of pain made her chest thrum. Cinder was intoxicated; she wanted to taste that perfect skin...

The ordeal of resisting her desires came to an end over two hours later as Cinder completed the final line, evened the last section of shading, and was allowed to lean back in her chair and turn off her gun, her work and delirium concluded. The tattoo that now adorned her client, glossy and vivid in it's newness, was a custom-styled rose the size of a fist placed perfectly in the center of Ruby's upper back, the petals thinly outlined in black and colored a rich, deep red. Before she let Ruby out of the chair Cinder cleaned the tattoo and put on a thin, clear bandage, then tapped Ruby on the arm to tell her it was alright to move.

Ruby groaned as she sat up, stretching her back and neck and wincing as her skin pulled against the bandage. "I didn't think it would hurt so much..."

"No one does," Cinder said, rolling over to the drawers and putting down her equipment. She picked up the small hand mirror before moving back to her client. "You did very well for your first tattoo."

"Really?"

"Oh yes," Cinder held up the mirror. "Look."

Ruby watched her reflection in the mirror as she turned back and forth to get the best angle of the rose on her back. "Wow... That's amazing! It looks so good, Cinder, thank you!"

"I believe it is my best work," Cinder said proudly, sliding back to the drawers to pick up Ruby's clothes. She tossed them to the young girl, and watched rapturously as Ruby dressed. "Now, leave the bandage on for at least two hours, and _no scratching_."

When Ruby's head popped out of the shirt, she said, "I can do that! This is so – ow! – amazing, Cinder! I can't thank you enough. I think Mom would have loved it..." The same glimmer of sorrow from their lunch several days earlier appeared in Ruby's eyes, and Cinder couldn't keep herself from licking her lips again. She stood and walked forward the short distance to embrace Ruby. "Thank you again, Cinder." Ruby nuzzled into the hug. "How do I pay you back for this? For everything? You've been so nice and kind and generous..."

Cinder smiled. "There is only one thing I'll accept, Ruby..."

The silver eyes looked up, curious. "What is it?"

Cinder whispered softly, "This..." She closed her eyes, dipped her head, and gently, slowly, pressed her lips against Ruby's.

The taste was even more delicious than she'd imagined.

The kiss lasted only a moment before Ruby pulled back, and Cinder licked her lips to capture what was left of that ambrosial taste. She felt lightheaded, like she was drunk, her mind consumed by the flavor and feeling of Ruby's kiss.

She opened her eyes to find Ruby staring at her, mouth parted in surprise, a flush coloring her face pink. "I-I-" Ruby stammered, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to figure out how to respond, "I, umm, I-" She stepped backwards, towards the door, one hand rising to cover her lips, "I need to go..." Her gaze never left Cinder as she searched for the door handle with her free hand, and when she found it she quickly pulled it open and rushed through the exit. "I'm sorry, I need to go!"

Cinder stood in her office, smiling, listening to the receding padding of Ruby's shoes as the girl ran down the hallway. "Emerald puts the key by the cash register!" She called after her neighbor. There was a sound of a door opening and then closing, and Cinder knew that Ruby had gone, but it didn't concern her too greatly.

She strode languidly to her desk and pulled a rose from the vase, touching the petals to her mouth. The flower was bitter and bland in comparison to those sweet, sweet lips. The dull, dying blossom was no match for the blinding vivacity of her young, sweet, darling Ruby.

She had finally done it. She had thought she'd have to _take_ her - she had been prepared to fight, to start a war with Schnees, police, and Fang, to burn the world to the ground - but now...

Now she had won.

Ruby was hers.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading.**

 **Please remember to review/favorite/follow the story.**

 **Keep moving forward.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** _RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth._

 **Disclaimer II:** _This chapter contains content that may be considered mature.  
_

 **Author's Notes:** Thank you, everyone, for over 700 followers!

Big thanks to **Unjax** for helping me with this chapter!

* * *

Lush, leathery petals scraped across Cinder's lips as she held the rose to her mouth, breathing in the rich scent of the flower's pollen. She closed her eyes and luxuriated in the smell, making each sniff deeper than the last, then threw her head back as she exhaled in a long, rhapsodic sigh. Opening her mouth, she touched her tongue to one of the petals; it tasted bland and bitter, like watered-down tea with too much ice. She longed for sweet.

The answer to her desire rested a short walk away, easily within sight from her seat on top of the receptionist's desk in the front of the tattoo shop, but Cinder resisted the feeling in her stomach, the fierce hunger, that wanted her to go to the florist. The day before, Winter Schnee had said that her family would be having Ruby's new stock of flowers delivered today, grossly overstepping the boundaries established between the Schnee patriarch and the Grimm, and if Cinder intruded unexpectedly on her rivals things could get... messy. Cinder saw no need for Ruby to witness such violence; she could wait.

Except the street outside of the tattoo shop was empty.

When she had arrived at her store earlier that morning Cinder had anticipated the road to be constricted with dozens of white vans and trucks, filled to bursting with flowers, pots, and enemy peons, and had prepared herself for another confrontation with the woefully overconfident woman who had dared to attempt to steal Ruby, but, perhaps disappointingly, there were no Schnees in sight. The lack of their presence hadn't convinced her that there was reason to relax, and she had told her underlings to stay alert.

Mercury had positioned himself by the door, pulling a rolling chair out of one of the rooms in the back of the shop, and passed the time while he waited for the Schnees by loading and unloading bullets from his pistol's magazine. The arrhythmic clicking blended imperfectly with the beat of the music that dribbled out of the speakers set into the ceiling, but over time it had faded to just more background noise. Emerald sat in her chair behind Cinder, occasionally touching her hands to the sawed-off shotgun that rested hidden under the desk to remind herself that it was available.

Cinder sat on the counter in the front of her shop, one leg over the other, twisting her flower between her fingers, wondering what was keeping her white-haired opponent. She was patient, yes, but that didn't mean she enjoyed having her time wasted, and the longer she was kept from Ruby by the unaccounted-for Schnees was more time wasted. She was beginning to grow angry, and the temptation of the florist's front door was becoming unbearable.

Silver eyes, red hair, and sweet lips waited for her amongst the flowers.

Taking another taste of the rose and licking her lips for whatever extra flavor may have been caught on her bright red lipstick, Cinder sighed and lowered the stem back into the large vase that was a constant source of complaining from Emerald. She stood and opened her mouth, planning to tell Mercury and Emerald to keep an eye out for Schnees while she went to the florist, but a surprise grumble of an engine – distant, but unmistakable – made her pause. It appeared her subordinates had heard the noise as well; Mercury stood quickly, the wheels of his chair clacking as it skidded across the floor, slammed his half-empty magazine into the grip of his pistol, and looked to Cinder for directions, while the sound of a shotgun getting racked from behind her told her Emerald was preparing for a conflict as well. Cinder herself put a hand on the knife hidden sheathed in her secret pocket.

The trio of gangsters remained frozen while the grumbling grew closer until the source rolled into view: a gleaming SUV – very unfortunately painted white – gently came to a stop on Cinder's side of the street. Mercury instantly raised his pistol, aiming the barrel at the passenger door, but Cinder raised a hand to make him wait. At Mercury's curious glance, she said "I'd prefer this to go... quietly." and signaled to her knife with her eyes. Mercury nodded, grinning a tiny, ominous grin, and slunk towards a corner, keeping his gun raised. Cinder looked back at the car just in time to see the doors open and tightened her fingers around her knife's hilt.

The tall gray button-sided boots that stepped down from the passenger's seat looked very un-Schnee-like to Cinder, but her momentary confusion dissipated with the appearance of an umbrella she only too easily recognized. Her hand lifted from the knife and she crossed her arms, watching as Neo unfurled her parasol and stood by the car until Roman finished making his trip around the front of the SUV. The pair of eccentric thieves took their time getting to the tattoo shop, ignorant of the commotion they had caused, and Cinder felt her irritation growing – it was certain that Roman knew better than to drive a white SUV into the heart of her territory.

She almost pulled out her blade when, after holding open the door for his partner, Roman entered the shop and said, grinning, "You weren't expecting someone else, were you?" Neo hid her smirk behind a white-gloved hand, her multicolored eyes laughing at Cinder.

"Roman." Cinder growled, "New car?"

He smiled foxily. "Just borrowing," He glanced at Mercury and Emerald, both of whom hadn't lowered their weapons yet. Turning back to Cinder, he pouted. "I thought we were friends?"

"I'm still deciding." Cinder muttered, but waved permission for her underlings to stand down. "Why are you here? We're... busy."

Roman's smile returned, wide and toothy. "I've got good news for you, Boss."

Cinder's glare softened. "Do you?" A long-awaited feeling of triumph glowed in her chest, and she smiled at the thought of hearing the details. Without looking away from Roman, she turned to Mercury. "Mercury,"

"Boss?"

"Move the car to the back."

"Got it, Boss." Mercury holstered his pistol into the back of his pants and stepped towards Roman, holding out his hand.

Tossing him the keys, Roman said, "No joyrides," and winked.

While Mercury rolled his eyes and groaned as he pushed through the front door and started walking to the car, causing Roman to chuckle and Neo to cover her mouth again, Cinder called over her shoulder, "Emerald?"

"Yes, Boss?"

"Don't we have something to drink in the back? Bring it out, would you?"

"But Boss, that's the-"

" _Em_ erald," Cinder snapped, then took a breath and said, "We reward good work," Then, threateningly, "Now get the drinks." She waited until she heard Emerald's footsteps recede into the hallway, then gestured Roman and Neo to one of the leather couches that sat against the wall. "Let's sit."

They moved as a group towards the seat. Neo and Roman took the edge opposite Cinder, the former picking up one of Mercury's magazines and flipping through the pages while the latter removed his hat and set it on his knee. Emerald returned quickly with two glasses and a bottle of dark liquor, only to be sent scurrying back for a third with a sharp reprimand. Mercury returned while they were waiting for Neo's glass, taking a seat on the couch on the other side of the shop and burying his face into a magazine.

When both she and her guests had drinks, Cinder turned and smiled at Roman. "Give me your news. I've been waiting for it for... too long."

Roman gulped down the contents of his glass and held it out for Emerald to refill. "You'll be happy to hear that our blonde friend won't be bothering you anytime soon."

"You didn't kill her, did you?"

"No, no, but we – this is good stuff – made sure she'd be out of action for a bit." He reclined, swirling the liquor. "It went as smoothly as you can imagine. We waited until she got out – hard to hit her when she's sitting in the police station – then followed her a ways. You'd think a detective would be more observant; I don't think she noticed us once. When she was alone, we... well," He looked into the glass, a cruel smile splitting his face, "I'll just say it was a delight watching Neo work."

A pleasant thrum of satisfaction purred through Cinder's chest. Imagining the foolish, overconfident blonde _screaming_ , writhing on the ground, terrified... "You gave her my regards?"

Roman nodded. "She knows it was you. She'll think twice before sticking her nose into your business again."

"Excellent." Retribution was hers; it was almost as sweet as Ruby's lips. Cinder snapped her fingers, "Emerald,"

"Boss?"

"Roman needs to be payed for his _exceptional_ work. The case by my desk, if you would,"

"Yes, Boss." Emerald placed the bottle between Roman and Cinder and hastened her way to the back office. His drink once again empty, Roman took the bottle and poured himself a third glass.

"Did we ever decide on a price, Roman?"

His face screwed, "I don't remember, but I'm sure you'll be _very_ generous."

"Hm. I'm sure I will be." Emerald returned and handed the case to Cinder, who then held it out to Roman. "For services rendered." His eyes bulged when he felt it's weight.

Her guest didn't disrespect her by counting his payment in front of her, instead handing it in turn to his accomplice, scoffing his drink, and sighing contentedly. "My pleasure, Boss."

The transaction complete, Cinder rose to her feet, handing Emerald her glass to dispose of. "If you'll excuse me, there's someone I need to see. A recent customer." She smirked when Roman's eyebrows rose.

"An actual customer? You don't mean-"

"I told you she was mine." She spoke with just enough venom to remind Roman that just yesterday he had doubted her, suspected her of being weak, and yet she was now victorious. "But don't go anywhere, I have another job for you,"

"Oh? How exciting! Any hints?"

She chuckled. "Relax, Roman. Enjoy your drink. Count your money. I'll be back soon." She stepped away, leaving Roman and Neo to their vices, crossing the shop to stand over Mercury. Her minion raised his head, ready for instruction. "No Schnee goes into that store while I'm there. Understand?"

Mercury smiled and set down his magazine, standing unhurriedly and cracking his neck. "Got it, Boss." There was a hint of enthusiasm in his usual sarcastic drawl.

Cinder gripped him by the chin, shifting her mouth into a firm, commanding line, and said, glaring straight into his eyes, "Keep it quiet." Mercury nodded calmly. "Good boy." She released him and turned for the door, pausing to smooth her shirt and adjust her hair before exiting.

The hot sunny air was a refreshing change from the stale dimness of the tattoo shop; Cinder shaded her eyes as she walked briskly across the street, her heels clacking against the asphalt, and soon she stood in front of the florist's door. It swung open easily with a gentle push – Cinder guessed that the Schnees might have greased the hinges the day before – and the bell bolted to the corner jingled at her entrance. The small flower store looked very different to the last time Cinder had been there: the mess those brutish boys had created had vanished, professionally cleaned away, and it seemed that – though she was loathe to admit it – the Schnees had done a good job refurnishing the wreckage.

The old floor had been completely replaced with textured gray-brown tiles waxed to a mirror finish, the wooden stage had been rebuilt and put on casters so it could be moved around the store with ease, and a new, elegant light feature hung down from the ceiling in the center of the store, spreading warm, soft light into every corner of the florist. Not a speck of dust nor shard of broken pottery could be spotted. And, despite Winter mentioning that the new stock of flowers would be coming _today_ , there were already sections that had been refilled with pots and vases, and a couple shelves held bouquets that lent their scents to the interior.

Short trees the height of her shoulder, fresh from Schnee greenhouses, stood on the stage and spread their sun-hungry leaves over brown plastic bowls with young, bulging sprouts of various flowers on the edge of blooming, and in one corner the workers had gathered a dozen large ferns under a special lamp that hummed with all the power it consumed. It was not as full as it had been before the ill-fated intrusion – she could actually move about without pushing aside leaves or flowers with every step – but neither was it as empty as Cinder had expected. She assumed most of the work had been completed while she had brooded in her office yesterday, and was happy to see the florist's recovery well under way. The smells of earth, pollen, and wet leaves, and the vibrant greenery brought a sense of tranquility that Cinder had been missing of late.

It was made all the better by knowing that it was hers, all of it, no matter the efforts the Schnees, police, or Fang made against her.

One noticeable absence, however, was Cinder's neighbor. She shouldn't have had any trouble spotting Ruby's red hair or apron with how bare the store was, but there was no sign of her. After searching every corner and behind every leafy tree and bush, Cinder's eye caught a small line of light coming from under the door that lead to the storage room. She moved eagerly towards the light, feeling a warm urgency in her chest, and tapped her knuckles against the door. "Ruby?" There was a quiet sound of a wooden crate getting scraped against concrete, but no response. Cinder licked her lips before turning the handle and opening the door.

The storage room was brightly lit with the cold white light of the fluorescent lights set into the metal racks that held the overstock flowers and smelled like wet dirt. Empty cardboard boxes were piled against any open space of wall between the rows of racks, moist from the spraying mist that drifted down from the small sprinklers twist-tied above the blossoms. It was cool; Cinder's skin prickled against the change away from hot, and there was an underlying buzzing of the air conditioner toiling relentlessly to maintain the temperature.

Cinder turned her head as she scanned the room, smiling when she spied the girl she desired. Ruby stood by the cutting table at the far end of the storage space with her back turned, surrounded by a minefield of large wooden crates marked 'fragile'. Taking slow steps, Cinder prowled forward, pulled by the starving yearning in her stomach. Her footfalls echoed weakly, mostly covered by the hiss of the sprinklers and the rumble of the ventilation. "There you are..." The exposed skin of Ruby's neck – milky, pale and smooth, tickled by the soft red hair – made Cinder's mouth water. "I've been looking for you, my sweet little ro-"

"Stop." The shout – half order, half plea – halted Cinder in her tracks.

Confused, she asked, "Ruby?" She chanced another step forward. "Is something wro-"

"Just stop!" Ruby turned around. There were tears in her silver eyes, and wet streaks traced across her cheeks. Cinder was more concerned by the gun revealed to be held in Ruby's left hand.

It was a dull black pistol; Cinder recognized it as a medium-caliber handgun, common among law enforcement. It didn't make her nervous – she'd been around guns for long enough and had more than a good share of time with them directed _at_ her – but she felt a great uneasiness replacing the hunger in her gut. Cautious and keeping still, she asked, "What's going on, Ruby?"

"Who, who are you?" Ruby's voice trembled, "W-Who are you, and what do you do?"

Cinder's heart seized. Someone had told her sweet, beautiful flower something they shouldn't have. She squashed her rising anger; whoever it was could be dealt with later, she needed to salvage this. "My name is Cinder, and I'm a tattoo artist-"

"NO! You're lying!" Ruby screamed. Her arms raised and the pistol's barrel stared at Cinder's chest. Fresh tears streamed down the young girl's face, and her mouth spread into a grimace as she started sobbing. "Who are you, and w-what do you do?"

Cinder forced herself to take slow breaths. "I'm Cinder Fall. I'm a tattoo artist-"

"You're still lying to me! I told you to stop!" Ruby took a step forward. Her arms shook with every hiccuping breath. "You're Cinder Fall, leader of the Grimm! The 'Red Queen' of Vale! Aren't you?!" Cinder's eyes watched Ruby's, but her mind followed every twitch of the gun barrel, and the sweaty, nervous finger that hovered by the trigger.

"Who told you that?" It was hard to keep the fury out of her voice.

"Answer me!"

Cinder's jaw clenched. This was not the situation she had wanted to be in when she finally revealed herself to Ruby. Admitting the truth would... "Ruby-"

"Answer me!" Ruby's finger wrapped around the trigger.

Cinder sighed. "Yes." The way Ruby's face twisted at her confirmation made Cinder think that, maybe, she had been hoping for a different response.

It almost looked like Ruby was physically wounded by her answer; she bent over as if wincing, and her expression appeared pained. "No... no!" The denial croaked out alongside a sniffle, then, "Why? Why?"

Adventuring a step forward, Cinder spread her arms, "Ruby, I-"

The gun whipped back to her chest. "Stay away from me!" Ruby fell back against the cutting table, quickly wiping her eyes with the heel of her right hand. "They were right about you," she muttered sadly, "Why didn't I listen to them?" She lowered the gun to her side, staring dully at Cinder. "They said you were a wolf in sheep's clothing. They said you were dangerous, but I didn't believe them." She started shaking her head. "You couldn't have been dangerous, you were nice. How could you be _dangerous_ when you were so nice? When you were so kind and helpful and generous? When I liked you so much..." She coughed, sniffled, wiped her nose, "I liked you so much I stopped asking questions."

Cinder stayed silent, letting Ruby talk, taking the opportunity to inch forward whenever the watery silvery eyes glanced away, lost in introspection. She was getting closer and closer to being within arms' reach.

"I should have known something was wrong when Blake brought guards. Or when Yang was scared. Or when Weiss... I think a part of me knew, but I didn't _think_... Because you were there to protect me, like when those men broke in! Yang gave me the gun; she said it was for safety, but I thought..." Ruby held the weapon away from her, as though it radiated an offensive stench. "I didn't want it. I thought it was too dangerous. I thought I could trust _you_ to help me, if I needed it," She glanced up, and Cinder froze in place. The tears were slowing, the sobs had stopped, but, indicated by the wobble of Ruby's lower lip, either could instantly return. "You put her in the hospital. I know. I tried to call her last night, after you... After you kissed me." Her weak hold on her emotions broke. Through choked breaths, Ruby asked, "Why did you do that?" The gun returned to aim at Cinder. Ruby screamed, "Why did you do that?!" A pause while she struggled with her sobs, then, in a high-pitched, scared squeak, "Am I next? Are you going to hurt me too?"

"Never!" Cinder bellowed, throwing her arms apart in rejection. She made to step forward but, seeing Ruby tense in fear, held herself back. She instead paced restlessly, followed by the pistol's sights. "I'd _never_ hurt you, Ruby."

Ruby looked to relax slightly. "Why did you hurt Yang? What did she do to you?"

Thinking of the meddlesome blonde reignited the suppressed fury in her chest. A snarl twisted Cinder's mouth, "Because she got in my _way_. They all did! Belladonna! Blonde! Schnee! They wanted to keep you away!"

Ruby's eyes widened, and she said, "What?" but the question barely registered in Cinder's mind.

"I wanted you, Ruby, I wanted you all to myself. But they kept getting in the way, kept trying to steal you from me! So, I did to them what I do to everyone who tries to take what's _mine_. I even did it the 'nice' way, so I wouldn't hurt you," She smiled, closing the last few feet that separated her from Ruby. Ruby squirmed as far backwards as she could, nearly sitting on top of the cutting table, her arms getting tangled around each other as she tried to keep the gun between herself and the older woman approaching her. "They won't bother us anymore, my sweet little rose," Cinder reached up and stroked a hand along Ruby's shivering cheek, wet with salty tears; she licked her lips. "You're all mine, now," She leaned in to kiss the trembling pink lips-

"No!" Ruby smacked Cinder's hand away; the gun pressed against Cinder's ribs. "I'm not yours!" She shoved against the older woman, forcing her back, "I don't want anything to do with you!"

Cinder made to move forward again, but Ruby raised the gun, and she paused, breathing hard. Sweetness was so near; she was so hungry for it... "Don't say that, Ruby," She licked her lips, "We kissed, my needle has tasted your skin... I want you Ruby, I need you," She stepped forward. "You're mine..."

"Stay away from m-"

Cinder lunged-

The gun went off.

The ringing in Cinder's ears and the pain in her side from where the bullet had bitten her before crashing through one of the lights on a rack far behind the pair of women were easily numbed by the sweet ecstasy of tasting Ruby's lips. The flavor was even more intoxicating than the night before.

She stood bent over, pressing her body down onto Ruby's, one hand sunken into the silken swathes of the soft red hair and the other gripping the young girl's hip, fighting against Ruby's arms to keep their mouths connected. The thin, delicate hands pushed against her shoulders but weren't strong enough to force her off. Finally, she tore away and took a long, deep breath. The hand in Ruby's hair slipped down and gently held the flushed, tear-streaked face, "Say you'll be mine, Ruby," Cinder whispered, barely able to speak for her breathlessness, "Tell me you'll be mine," She descended again. Ruby writhed underneath her, turning her head away, so Cinder opted to kiss along the graceful neck, feeling the warmth and tasting the sweet, sweet skin. Her other hand lifted from Ruby's hip and slid along the curve of the florist's chest to rest on top of one of the small breasts. "Say you're mine!"

Ruby moaned and squeaked beneath her, twisting away from her touch. "No!" Cinder allowed herself to be shoved away, standing back and panting; her heart hammered in her chest. Ruby rose from off the cutting table and wiped the back of her hand across her mouth. "I'll never be yours! I don't want anything to do with you!" Cinder sobered somewhat at Ruby's refusal, the feverish pulsing in her veins cooling down. "You're _evil!_ "

"Evil?" Cinder laughed. "That's why I didn't tell you the truth, Ruby, I knew you wouldn't understand," She threw her arms out, "This city _lives_ because of me! The gangs would have torn it down if I hadn't conquered them! Without me every street would be coated with blood! Every corner a war zone! I _rule_ Vale! If things had gone as they were supposed to," A different feeling started pooling in her stomach, running through her veins, "if your _friends_ had kept quiet like they were _supposed_ to, you would have seen. You would have understood why it is I do what I do." Her hands clenched. "But _they_ ruined everything! They told you too soon, turned you against me..."

Cinder realized she'd been grimacing at Ruby; she relaxed her hands and smiled, stepping forward. "I just need you, Ruby, and then everything will be right again," She cupped Ruby's chin, feeling her shy away from the touch, "I admit, my methods are cruel, but with you... You could help me turn Vale into something _magnificent_... Just say you'll be mine..."

The silver eyes locked onto hers, full of steel. "I told you. I'll never be yours."

Cinder's smile dropped. "Ruby," Heat blazed in her stomach, in her fingers, behind her eyes. "Be mine,"

Stoically and defiantly pointing her chin, Ruby said, "No. Never. You _hurt_ my _friends!_ "

Shaking, Cinder barely managed to whisper, "You would choose _them_ over _me?_ "

"I love them. I _hate_ you."

The fire erupted inside Cinder. Her upper lip curled back, and she roared, "If I _can't_ have you, they _won't!_ " Her hand whipped to her knife, drawing the slick, shining blade from it's sheath hidden in her pocket, and plunged the point upwards into Ruby's chest. She felt the steel slide through skin and meaty muscle, between the ribs, and stab into Ruby's fast-beating heart.

Ruby jerked, her eyes bulging and mouth opening silently in complete shock as the metal pierced through her. Her hands clutched shakily at Cinder's shirt.

Cinder released the knife, reaching her hand – smeared in hot red liquid – around behind Ruby and drawing the younger girl close, cradling her in an imitation of a comforting hug. She closed her eyes, and pressed her mouth against the sweet pink lips, holding the kiss until the taste was replaced by the coppery tang of Ruby's blood spilling up from her punctured lung.

When the smooth white arms stopped shivering, when the raspy breath stopped flowing, when the straining heart stopped beating, Cinder tenderly lowered Ruby's body to the ground, placing her on her side. The shining silver eyes stared emptily at the wall. Warm blood gushed more readily from the wound when Cinder withdrew the knife and dropped it on the concrete floor next to the black gun, lost after its surprise discharge. She brushed a strand of Ruby's hair behind her ear, revealing a pale cheek; her lips left a light red stain against the skin. It was as much a trademark of her handiwork as a symbol of her affection. As she made to stand, she caught a glimpse of the tattooed rose on Ruby's back – her hand had left a messy print directly across the brightly colored, not-yet-healed skin.

Blood and ink, the same shade of red.

Cinder stood and looked at herself. The front of her shirt and the top of her pants were dark and sticky with Ruby's blood; it dripped from her upturned hands onto her legs and shoes. She licked her lips.

Blood. No sweetness.

Her heart beat slowly in her chest. She didn't feel angry anymore, but neither was she sad. She felt calm, and empty.

Wet, red footprints were left in the her wake as she turned and walked through the door. As she strode across the florist's floor flower petals and leaves dragged against her arms and pants like tickling fingers, getting caught in the thick smears that coated her body. The sunlight that glared down on her after she stepped into the street made the already hot blood feel even hotter; it burned against her skin.

Emerald burst from the tattoo shop when Cinder was halfway across the road and rushed towards her. "Holy shit, Boss, what the hell happened to you?" She gasped. "Did that stupid little flower bitch do this to you? I'll-"

Cinder's fist crunched into her jaw; Emerald fell to the ground. " _Shut up_ , Emerald!" She stood over her fallen subordinate and drove her foot again and again into the woman's chest and stomach. Emerald screamed and tried to block the attacks with her arms. "You talk too _fucking_ much!" After a final kick that landed solidly against Emerald's side, Cinder stopped, caught her breath, and then continued towards her store, leaving her receptionist groaning in a ball in the middle of the road.

The interior of the tattoo shop was dead silent save for the soft music that floated from the speakers in the ceiling. Three pairs of eyes stared at her, wide at the sight of all the glistening blood on her clothes, their owners cowed by the ferocious beating in the street. Mercury stood by the door, pistol drawn and mouth shut, glancing between Emerald's body in the street and Cinder's red-covered hands. Roman and Neo were both sitting where she had left them, a glowing cigar pinched tight in Roman's lips.

It was the thief who spoke first. "That's a scary look you've got, Boss."

She glared at him, then swiveled her head to look at her other minion. "Mercury,"

"Boss?"

"Get some gasoline."

"Boss?" He hesitated until Cinder flashed him a dangerous glance. "Got it." He nodded and left for the back of the store.

"What happened?" Roman asked, eying all the blood.

Cinder ignored his question, crossing to the receptionist's desk and wrapping her hands around the giant vase that rested on its surface. With a grunt, she lowered it slowly to the floor, then grabbed it by its mouth; the wrinkling stems of the roses inside scratched against her fingers. The hard clay screeched as she dragged it across the ground, out the door, and into the street, past Emerald slowly rising from the asphalt, until she came to a stop in front of the florist's stained wood door. Roman and Neo followed her out, and watched quietly as Cinder lifted the vase and threw it as far as she could into the flower store. Mercury appeared soon, carrying two large metal gas cans. Cinder took them from him and sent him away with a nod.

Her expression was grim as she went into the flower store and undid the caps on the cans. The harsh chemical stink quickly replaced the freshness of the blossoms, the smell burning Cinder's nostrils as she walked, one tank at a time, through the aisles and around the stage, covering the polished tiles and flowers alike with gasoline. Petals and leaves wilted and browned under the petrol stream.

When she was satisfied with the distribution of the accelerant, she tossed one can, empty, through the front door and used the other to draw a line of liquid out into the street. The can was down to the last drops before she'd made it onto the opposite sidewalk; Cinder shook it to make sure it was as empty as possible, then let it fall noisily to the pavement and stood wordlessly over her fuse.

The four other criminals slowly joined her, Mercury supporting the wounded Emerald to Cinder's left while Roman and Neo hovered to her right. Roman took a long drag on his cigar, then exhaled a cloud of wispy gray smoke. "That girl," he said, pointing with his cane to the flower store, "was connected to every single major enemy of yours in the city, and you killed her." He shook his head. "They're going to be coming for you." He started to put the cigar back between his teeth, but Cinder plucked it from his fingers and held it to her mouth.

She breathed in the hot smoke. It itched down her throat. "I know," She blew out in a slow sigh, staring absently at the building about to be set ablaze. "She was supposed to love me." Cinder dropped the cigar into the puddle of gasoline by her feet. Hazy flames, barely visible in the bright sunlight, raced along the line of gas into the florist, which virtually exploded with fire. It devoured the flowers, the stage, the light fixtures, everything. Toxic black smoke soon started erupting through the door, then from the windows after the glass shattered from the heat. Cinder could feel the pulsing hot wind of the inferno against her face as she watched the flames lick higher and higher, until she could see the rafters wrapped in fire. "Get in touch with all the gangs," Cinder said aside to Roman, keeping her eyes locked to the roaring conflagration, "Vale burns tonight."

She saw Roman tilt his hat out of the corner of her eye. "Got it, Boss." The sounds of his and Neo's footsteps leaving was nearly inaudible over the fire that consumed the florist.

"Emerald,"

The green-haired woman coughed and said weakly, "B-Boss?"

"Get your tools and meet me in my office." Cinder turned on her heel and started toward the tattoo shop before Emerald could groan her compliance.

When she reached her office in the back of the store, she felt the tight cage of calmness that surrounded her heart melt away, replaced by a geyser of rage. She screamed, bellowing her anger, her frustration, yelling all the louder as her own voice echoed off the walls back at her. Storming to her desk, she wiped its surface clean, sending papers, books, and wads of banded-together money flying in a tumultuous whirl. The next victim of her fury was her stack of drawers full of tools – she pushed it over and it slammed with a deafening crash against the floor, spilling jars of ink and spare parts for her tattoo gun into every corner of the room. Her heart racing, her chest heaving, Cinder turned and spotted the vase of roses that somehow survived her frenzy.

It stood alone, untouched, having miraculously avoided the violence she'd wreaked on her desk. She stepped over to it, grasping it in her shaking hands, and examined the roses that poked out of the thin neck. They were old and stale, unreplenished.

Dead.

She threw the vase against the wall. The glass burst; the withered brown flowers unraveled, their ugly petals floating feather-like downwards.

With nothing left to break, Cinder strode to the reclining chair, normally reserved for her victims, but today it would be she sitting on its comfortable leather seat. She pulled her blood-soaked shirt over her head, feeling what little blood hadn't dried slide coolly against her skin, and tossed the ruined garment with the vase. She did the same for her bra, then sat and waited.

A knock preceded Emerald limping into the room with her bag of tools. Her eyes widened at the wreckage in the office, then, after they brushed across Cinder's bare chest, looked away. "Boss! Um... Did you-"

"Come here, Emerald," Cinder waved her receptionist forward, "Pull up the chair."

Given permission, Emerald rolled the chair over to Cinder and sat, putting on a pair of latex gloves. Suddenly, she gasped. "Boss, you're bleeding!"

Looking down, Cinder spotted the source of Emerald's reaction. A thin cut from where Ruby's bullet had grazed her side was oozing a tiny stream of blood. "Oh. I forgot about that." She settled back. "Ignore it."

Emerald nodded nervously. "R-Right. W-Where did you want it, Boss?"

Cinder placed her hand just above her breasts, right over her heart. "Here."

"Okay," Emerald withdrew a cloth and a small bottle of rubbing alcohol from her bag and started cleaning the area. "This is kind of nice, isn't it, Boss? Just me and you, like in the beginning. I've missed this."

"Emerald,"

"Boss?"

"Shut up and get started."

Her minion gulped. "Y-Yes, Boss," She put away the cloth and started hooking up the tattoo gun. "So, what do you want?"

Cinder leaned her head back, closed her eyes, and sighed.

"A rose."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading.**

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	7. Epilogue

**Disclaimer:** _RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth._

 **Author's Notes:** Last chapter was the end. This is the epilogue.

* * *

Every street was empty, bereft of anything interesting for Cinder to look at. The car window's tinted glass gave the sunlit avenues an ugly brown glaze, as though the roads themselves were decaying, reminding her far too much of the sickly dry leaves that rotted in the back corners of her shop. Cinder sat in the middle of the back seat of the third SUV out of the four that made up her motorcade, her legs crossed and her hands in her lap, staring to the side at the barren sidewalks and roads. Mercury stared forward attentively in the driver's seat, one hand on the wheel, while Emerald tapped her fingers against the passenger seat's armrest in time with the music. The cars were unnecessary, in Cinder's mind, but, with Vale in the state it was, she had decided it might be prudent to start taking Roman's suggested measures of caution. The last three days had seen a dramatic shift in the city's status quo; she was leery of her confidence in her ability to predict the outcome, but she considered the emptiness of the city's major streets to be evidence that events were following her expectations.

Vale was scared. It and its citizens had been enjoying a period of remarkable peace, but they were suddenly subjected to a devastating violence.

On the night of Ruby's death, seventeen bombings had taken place throughout the city. Cinder had watched from the front of her tattoo shop as the distant columns of smoke and dust had reached towards the sky, joining the pillar of blackness that billowed from the smoldering remains of the florist across the street. She had listened to the faint echoes of screams, sirens, and gunshots, and waited for the familiar feeling of satisfaction to blossom in her chest, but the emptiness she had felt had been immovable. It was like an unfillable void had taken up residence beside her heart, and no matter what she fed it – artistic pride, sadistic joy, the inferno of her fury – it remained, unaffected.

The people of Vale still trembled in what they hoped was the security of their homes, uncertain of their safety, and thus the streets were empty, and Cinder was bored during her ride. But _she_ knew that, for today at the very least, it was safe within the city.

Sighing, Cinder turned away from the window. "Mercury," She met her driver's eyes in the rear-view mirror, and heard the volume of the music lower slightly, "Can't you go faster?" She scratched at the itchy healing skin on her chest, her black-painted nails rasping against the silky fabric of her dress. "I'd hate to be late."

"Got it, Boss." She let her focus drift back to the lonely streets, faintly aware of Mercury transmitting her directions to the lead car. Preceded by a jerk and a higher-pitched growl from the engine, the motorcade increased its speed and rolled down the highway.

For all her worries about arriving to her destination late, her SUV caravan arrived quite quickly, traveling out into the suburban countryside and following a narrow paved path before coming to a gentle stop across from a large building made of gray stone with a massive lawn, a fountain in front of the steps that lead to the doors, and a mural of lions and knights carved into the tympanum of the portico. An outside observer may have assumed the estate to be that of a diplomat or prominent government official, but Cinder recognized the mansion from when she had made agreements with the Schnee patriarch several years ago. Other cars were parked in the driveway that circled the fountain – two white SUVs and a limousine, two blue-and-white Vale Police squad cars, and a single black luxury sedan – each accompanied by at least one armed guard. All attention turned towards the motorcade, and more than a few hands drifted towards concealed weapons.

Cinder sighed through her nose. "Mercury, I told you I didn't want to be late. Now look, we're the last ones to arrive."

"I'm, I'm sorry, Boss." She could tell by his tone of voice that he understood the extent of his failure.

"Hmph." Scratching again at her chest, Cinder grimaced at the grunts that stood between them and the mansion. "Let's not keep them waiting." She sat and watched as Mercury and Emerald opened their doors and exited – quickly copied by the dozen henchmen in her other cars – making the guards from the other gangs flinch. A small smirk crept across Mercury's mouth as he fixed his suit jacket to cover the pistol tucked into his waistband before reaching out and opening Cinder's door. Emerald rushed to help her out of the car, dutifully offering her hand to her boss. Cinder emerged into the sun, using Emerald's hand to step lightly out of the SUV; her fine black dress slid smoothly down her legs as she stood and shaded her eyes. "Thank you, Emerald," Taking a glance up and down the row of her minions that lined the street, she turned to face the tall white doors of the mansion. "Let's go."

The large group of Grimm moved as a singular mass, Cinder at the head and flanked by Mercury and Emerald, marching towards the large gray house. The white-suited Schnee guards visibly tensed while the uniformed police officers nervously pulled their pistols from the holsters on their hips. The White Fang sentry, a muscled giant of a man, cracked his knuckles.

"Gentlemen," Cinder called to her opposition as her group approached, "There is an agreement about today." Then, after no one moved, she continued threateningly, "Put. The weapons. Down." Behind her Mercury drew his pistol and racked the slide, quickly followed by the rest of her subordinates. The Schnees, police, and lone Faunus eyed the group of Grimm, weighed the odds, and then reluctantly raised their hands in surrender. Cinder put on a sweet smile. "Thank you. Now, everyone play nice." She, Mercury, and Emerald strode past the fountain and started up the steps, leaving the large group of Grimm henchmen to watch over the vehicles and rival factions.

Before they reached the mansion's porch the double doors opened and a tall, red-haired man wearing a sharp black suit and metal White Fang mask emerged from inside the building. He paused when he spotted the trio moving up the stairs; Cinder watched one leather-gloved hand move down and hang on the hilt of the long sword that was sheathed beside his hips. Although a thick leather strap tied to the sword prevented the blade from being removed from the sheath, Cinder doubted that that would reduce Adam Taurus' lethality with the weapon.

She and her minions finally reached the flat surface of the porch, standing a few paces away from the head of the White Fang. "Adam," Cinder said, dipping her head respectively.

Adam grunted. "Ms. Fall."

"I'm surprised to see you here," Cinder gestured to the mansion, "I didn't know you and the Schnees had reconciled."

The mask glimmered as Adam glanced back at the mansion, then he shrugged. "Hm, no. The Schnees still have quite the debt to pay to us, but today is an exception." His head swiveled slowly back to Cinder. "You have debts as well," The hand on the sword tightened. "I don't care about the girl, but that store was under my protection."

Cinder's polite smile faded. "We can settle another time. You said yourself, today is an exception."

A moment of tense silence passed between the two, then Adam relaxed his grip. Cinder heard Emerald breathe a sigh of relief behind her. "Hm, very well." The Faunus started forward, moving around the trio toward the steps. As he brushed by Cinder he said lowly, "My darling is inside. Touch her, and it's war."

Cinder eyed him sidelong. "I understand." She watched him descend the stairs and join the muscular sentry by the black sedan, then turned back to the mansion's doors. "Come along, you two," she called to her minions, "It's time to pay our respects."

The building's interior was decorated somberly with black drapes around the windows and multiple bouquets of flowers laid underneath and around a large framed portrait of Ruby that rested on a gilded easel just beyond the doorway. The guests that turned to stare at Cinder's company's entrance were all dressed in black dresses and suits, the women veiled and teary while the men struggled to keep their dour expressions from cracking.

The carpet squished under Cinder's heels as she moved from the greeting area through the small crowd of people who shrank away from her. A maid carrying drinks on a platter spotted her and began to approach the three criminals but froze, wide-eyed, when recognition overpowered service-mindedness. Cinder beckoned the woman over with her finger, and she nervously drew near. "M-Madam, m-may I offer you a d-drink?" the poor girl asked, holding out her platter. She was trembling so badly the glasses rattled against the polished plate.

Cinder graciously accepted, lifting one of the glasses and taking a small sip of the dark liquid. "Mm, thank you." The maid dipped in a quick curtsey, then hurriedly turned to leave. Cinder put her hand on the woman's shoulder to stop her. "Excuse me,"

The maid spun back around, forcing a shaky smile. "Y-Yes, m-madam?"

"Where is the main room? I'd like to pay my respects."

Sweat was beginning to gather at the top of the woman's forehead. She raised her free hand and pointed to Cinder's left. "J-Just through here to the left, m-madam. I-Is there anything e-else I can assist you with?"

"Yeah," Mercury's voice came from behind Cinder, "Gimme one of those drinks,"

After handing off the drink, the maid asked, "A-Anything else?" Cinder took another sip and dismissed her with a wave; the woman scurried away and disappeared around a corner.

Cinder held her drink close to her stomach as she started walking in the direction the maid had indicated, passing under an archway into a spacious room furnished with long white couches with black pillows on two sides and a table with some food dishes in the center. A glittering chandelier hung from the high ceiling but it was the sunlight spilling through the large windows that lit the room, stark yellow rays coming down at an angle to fall perfectly on the cloth- and candle-covered altar against the far wall. More flowers and pictures of Ruby stood on the altar's surface alongside a – no doubt ceremonial – urn. Guests were scattered around the room – sitting on the couches, standing in front of the windows, or gathering food – but the quiet conversations dimmed to silence as dozens of pairs of eyes turned to the newcomers. Cinder recognized a few faces, mostly government officials or known partners of the Schnees, but some were unknown to her. These she made sure to lock eyes with until they looked away submissively.

When her gaze had traveled the room and none dared meet her fiery-eyed stare, she resumed her path toward the altar. Like in the greeting area, the other mourners separated to allow her and her bodyguards through the crowd, and soon she stood in front of the table and its myriad of portraits. One particular picture caught her eye; Ruby, mid laugh, wearing an apron and holding a vase containing a beautiful bouquet of bright red roses. A twang of... pain, ran through Cinder's heart. The healing bullet wound on her side itched beneath the pad and gauze that covered it. She set down her glass and reached out to grasp the picture, to hold it, to stroke her fingers over that precious, beautiful, sweet face-

"How _dare_ you!"

The furious gasp screeched deafeningly through the nervous silence of the room, making Cinder pause. She turned, unsurprised to see Weiss Schnee standing angrily under the archway. The girl's pale skin and glowing white hair were perfectly contrasted with her elegant black dress, but her shining blue eyes were reddened and puffy with grief.

"How _dare_ you!" She hissed again, beginning to stride purposefully across the room. Emerald and Mercury both stepped forward to block her, but Cinder parted them with her hands and placed herself in front of the glaring woman, meeting Weiss' snarl with a disdainful glower. Weiss stomped to a halt a shoulder's width from the crime magnate and bared her teeth. "You _dare_ to show your face here? After you _isolated_ her? After you _attacked_ her? After you _murdered_ her?!" Many faces in the group of people behind her looked up at this exclamation.

Cinder's lip twisted. "I have as much right to pay my respects as-"

Weiss inhaled sharply, flaring her nostrils. " _RESPECTS?!_ Where was your damn ' _respect_ ' when you _burned down_ her store, with her inside! When you _stole_ the best thing that ever happened to this horrible, forsaken city!" Her fists clenched by her sides and shook with rage. "You killed Ruby, _you MONSTER!_ " Weiss raised one hand and whipped it at Cinder's head.

Cinder easily intercepted Weiss' arm and held firm against her struggles. Speaking slowly, her anger only barely held in check, Cinder said, "Be careful, little girl. There's a truce today; you wouldn't want to be the one to break it." The next time Weiss tried to wrench her arm free Cinder released her, and the young Schnee stumbled backwards. "I never 'stole' Ruby, she was mine from the beginning. I told the whole town that she was mine, spread the word to every corner of the city, but still you tried to keep her for yourself. You stood between us time and time again, despite my warnings..."

"To _protect_ her, from _you!_ " Weiss shouted, tears welling in the corners of her eyes, "You're even more insane than everyone thinks if you believe Ruby would have accepted you!" Heat rose in Cinder's chest, spreading down her arms. "She was sweet, and kind! She had nothing but _love_ for the world, where all you have is _hate!_ " The tears spilled down Weiss' face; she wiped them away then screamed, "You evil, _evil_ woman!"

A hand settled over Weiss' shoulder. "Weiss," Cinder flicked her eyes over Weiss' head and spied a messy mop of blonde hair.

"Yang..." Weiss sniffled, falling into the taller woman's arms. Arm; the detective's right arm hung in a sling across her chest.

"Shh..." Yang whispered to the white-haired girl, patting her back comfortingly. She wore a black suit that wrinkled where her crutches met her armpit, and clean white bandages clung to her face and neck. Her left eye was surrounded by purpled skin and was swollen half-closed. Cinder smiled inwardly when she saw what Roman and Neo had wrought upon the woman. "Shh..." Yang glared at Cinder; the purple eyes burned with barely contained rage. "Shh..." she whispered again, as if trying to calm both herself and Weiss.

Cinder sighed. Trying to educate these _children_ on their mistakes was so tiring. "It must be nice living in that world," she hummed, examining her nails, then scratching her chest, "where you are blameless for her death." Weiss' head whipped around and Yang's face contorted in pure pained wrath. "Tell me, _sunshine_ , do you remember what I said to you when we met? I warned you what would happen if you told Ruby about me. _You_ knew; did you tell your friends?" Cinder suddenly smiled and spread her arms, "Congratulations, Detective, you are the first case of getting your stitches _before_ snitching!"

Yang made to lunge at Cinder, stopped only by her crutches and Weiss' body. "You bitch!"

A scowl replaced Cinder's faux smile. "What hurts more? Knowing that your sister is dead because of you, or being too pathetic to save her? To protect her? What a _terrible_ sister you are..."

Yang screamed. "You bitch! You heartless bitch! I'll fucking kill you!" She struggled to push through Weiss, but somehow the white-haired woman held her back. Wise girl. "I'm going to kill you, you bitch!"

Laughter bubbled out of Cinder unexpectedly; even Mercury and Emerald glanced at her, confused. "You – ha! –You call me heartless, but I am grieving, just the same as you. I _loved_ Ruby, even if you can't understand that. I grieve for her, and for what could have been. That's why I'm here – I came for my rose. I came to mourn my Ruby." She turned away from the pair back to the altar, reaching again for the picture of Ruby smiling. She longed for another taste of that sweetness, another sniff of the red hair-

"Boss!"

Cinder spun at Emerald's shout, but froze when she found a black knife a hairsbreadth from her throat. She had to look down her nose at the blade – tilting her head would push the skin of her neck against the point – and her eyes traced down the dagger and along the black-wrapped arm until she found the tear-streaked face of Blake Belladonna.

"She came out of fuckin' _nowhere_ , Bo-" Mercury began before being silenced by Cinder's raised hand. His pistol was trained on Blake's head.

Cinder locked eyes with the Faunus girl; the golden rings glowed with the thirst for vengeance. "Do I need to remind you of the truce as well, kitten?" she said after a moment.

"I could slash you apart long before he managed to pull the trigger," Blake snarled, "Truce be damned."

Cinder's lips spread in a dry smile. "Well, your friends _are_ already dressed for a funeral..." She leaned her head forward; the tip of the knife pricked her skin, and a drop of blood swelled around the steel. "Do it." She could see the temptation flash through the amber irises, but instead the blade retracted from her throat.

"No," Blake breathed, "I won't, no matter that it's what you deserve. Ruby wouldn't want me to." She sheathed the knife and shut her eyes for a few seconds as she composed herself. When they opened, they glinted with fortitude. "It's time for you to leave, Ms. Fall. You are not welcome here."

Cinder almost laughed. "How ironic for you to say that, kitty cat. Unfortunately, I go where I please, and I leave when I please."

Weiss appeared beside Blake. "You came for your rose, didn't you say?" Her voice was still squeaky with sobs. "Well then," She stomped over to a window and picked up one of the bouquets, then returned. "Here!" She angrily withdrew a white rose from the bunch of flowers and hurled it at Cinder.

Cinder tracked its path as it bounced off her chest and fell to the floor, then looked up and raised an eyebrow at the Schnee girl, her expression voicing her semi-amused confusion.

"A rose for you, from me." Weiss spat venomously, "May it sting you!"

Emerald, after glancing at her boss, bent down to retrieve the flower, but Cinder grabbed her by the shoulder. "That's mine, Emerald." Emerald withdrew, and Cinder leaned over to take the rose. When her fingers touched the green stem, another flower fell beside the first.

A cream-yellow rose.

Cinder looked up; Yang grimaced down at her. "A rose for you, Ms. Fall." she growled through her teeth.

Lifting the second rose from the floor and straightening, Cinder was about to speak but was interrupted by a third rose being shoved into her hand by Blake.

A black rose, dark as a starless night. Turning her head glacially slowly, Cinder regarded the Faunus.

"You have your rose now, Ms. Fall." Blake said defiantly, thrusting out her chin.

Glaring at her three enemies standing determinedly before her, Cinder sniffed her small bouquet. The smell wasn't sweet like Ruby's roses.

Behind the girls the crowd had reformed and were watching the exchange; she could just barely hear the mourners murmuring grumpily, and wasn't fond of what was being said. "Emerald, Mercury, it's time for us to go." She turned and took one last lingering glance at the altar and Ruby's portraits, then lead her subordinates to the archway. As the gangsters walked through the large group hands would appear – their owners obscured by shoulders, suits, and veils – each holding a rose. Emerald and Mercury slapped the hands away, shouting threats and obscenities, but when the trio reached the hallway that lead to the exit they found another gauntlet of flower-armed guests. Cinder ignored the leaves and thorns that dragged against her dress as she made her way to the tall white doors, but clasped tightly to the three roses already in her hand.

She shoved the doors open and quickly descended the stairs, drawing the attention of the guards by the cars. Their heads twisted to follow her as she moved, her heels clacking, towards her SUV and climbed in, soon joined by Mercury and Emerald. Her henchmen began to pull back to their vehicles, warily watching the rival guards. While they waited for the motorcade to get ready, Mercury craned his neck to look at Cinder from the driver's seat. "You alright, Boss?"

Cinder sniffed her roses once again and turned her head towards the window. On the mansion's porch stood the Schnee, the blonde, and the Faunus, watching her cars. "I'm fine, Mercury," She grasped one of the petals of the yellow rose and pulled. It separated with minor resistance. She repeated the action again and again until there were no petals left and a pile sat on her lap, then started on the black rose.

"So, what now?"

Another pull, and the black rose was completely plucked; Cinder picked up the white rose and set to work. "Take me back to the store. We have a lot of preparing to do," When the white rose was bare, she gathered all the fallen petals in her hands then lowered her window. She waited a moment to be sure the three girls on the porch were watching, then extended her arm through the opening and dropped the mixture of petals; they scattered to the ground like confetti. As she rolled up her window she said, "After all...

"...tomorrow it's back to business."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** The story is over now. Big thanks to **Unjax** , **ScottishMongol** , and **Foxinstrazt** for helping me along the way. I hope you enjoyed it.

 **Thank you for reading.**

 **Please remember to review/favorite the story.**

 **Keep moving forward.**


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